Wages In Paraguay

Last activity 09 November 2009 by Mike.M

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Mike.MActive member07 November 2009 03:21:37

Can anyone tell me what wages are like in Paraguay?

Is there a legal minimum wage?

If there is no law, there must be social conventions...?

What is the going rate for inexperience day laborers in Asuncion or CDE?

What is the going rate for farm labor in the countryside far from Asuncion?

In the United States the minimum wage is $7.25/hour. Individual states are free to set minimum wages higher, for their jurisdiction. My state is Oregon which has set its minimum wage at $8.40.

My nephew is about 30 years old; lives in rural Mexico, and makes about $5/day "five dollars per day" working in the fields.

He survives on the additional support he gets from relatives who still have jobs in the US.

Guide to ParaguayActive member09 November 2009 12:54:18

I believe the legal minimum wage is about 1.4 million Guaranies which is about US $290 per month. Of course this is the LEGAL minimum wage - there are many people who are paid much, much less. For example I recently was told that the going rate for a day maid in Caaguazu is 200,000 Guaranies which is like $53 per month. Much like your nephew many people survive with additional help from relatives working abroad (mostly in Spain and/or Argentina).

Speaking of law vs. social conventions: Even if you manage to get a high paying job here there is no guarantee that your salary won't slowly diminish or plain old disappear within a couple of months. Foreigners looking to work in Paraguay should be aware of this. Unless you are a direct hire from a US or other foreign employer you will be subject to the same shenanigans many Paraguayans in white collar jobs have to deal with.

Mike.MActive member09 November 2009 16:47:10

Thanks, that was interesting.

The discrepancy between the minimum wage in the US $7 and the negotiated wage $5 is 7 to 5.

The ratio in Paraguay may be as high as G1,400,000 legal min wage to G200,000 for the maid in Caaguazu is 7 to 1.

In the US a negotiated wage of less than the minimum would never be advertised. Never.

Do people in Paraguay openly advertise a wage less than the legal minimum? I would thin not, but....?