Half a million employees fail to earn enough for a decent life

More than half a million employees throughout Catalonia do not earn enough money to lead a decent life, according to a report released by ‘La Taula del Tercer Sector,' a Catalan platform including 35 social organizations. The paper also stated that in 2016 the number of “poor workers” increased by 30,000 since 2013.

In Catalonia 234,600 part-time employees earn an average monthly salary of less than 710 euros. Meanwhile, around 240,700 full-time employees earn between 710 and 1,003 euros a month. The average gross monthly salary in the country, according to the same statistics is 1,952 euros. Therefore, the threshold to be able to live decently is around 1,170 euros per month, as determined by the European Social Charter.

The report was carried out by a team coordinated by one Professor Cabasés, who argues that the economic recovery taking place in the country is not being translated to the generation of clean and quality employment. He also highlighted that youth unemployment remains high, while temporal work increases, as do low wages.

Work is a promoter of social inclusion and mental health, the report maintained. Therefore, it is necessary for variables such as economic compensation and work stability to be consistent and secure. The paper concluded that people with job insecurity are 2 to 7 times more at risk of developing depression.

The current situation, the report states, promotes vulnerability especially bearing in mind previous economic crises. The existence of “poor workers” creates enormous social costs such as disconnection from society, distrust in the political system, as well as a “brain drain” as people seek work elsewhere, the report said. It also has a negative effect on the economy in terms of growth and productivity.