Minimum wages in 2022 : annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eurofound Correspondents. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar Molina After a cautious round of minimum wage setting for 2021, nominal rates rose significantly for 2022 as the negative consequences of the pandemic eased and economies and labour markets improved. In this context, 20 of the 21 EU Member States with statutory minimum wages raised their rates. Substantial growth was apparent in the central and eastern European Member States compared with the pre-enlargement Member States, while the largest increase occurred in Germany. When inflation is taken into account, however, the minimum wage increased in real terms in only six Member States. If present inflation trends continue, minimum wages will barely grow at all in real terms in any country in 2022. Significant losses in the purchasing capacity of minimum wage earners are likely to dominate the picture, unless the issue is addressed by policy changes during the year. The processes for minimum wage setting and related legislation in the EU have remained unchanged, by and large, or were adapted only slightly for 2022.