Salary expectations would improve even in 5 years

The average salary expectation—that is, what workers aspire to earn monthly—as of December 2023 was S/3,057, while before the pandemic the amount exceeded S/3,500, according to Boomerang. Dora Pinedo, marketing manager of this online employment portal, explains that being optimistic we could return to these amounts in just five years.

“To consider a salary expectation like we had pre-pandemic, at least four or five years would have to pass, being very optimistic,” the executive commented to La República, adding that the expected amounts are usually close to what the companies offer. companies.

The factors behind it are linked to the situation the country is going through, with a 2023 that is expected to close in negative and a 2024 in which the expectation is only to grow by rebound. For this reason, Pinedo points out that the increase will be progressive despite the fact that the cost of the basic basket has risen due to the effects of inflation.

In this way, last year the salary expectation of Peruvians fell 1.29%. The largest decreases in the intended salary were recorded in May (S/3,032) and in September (S/3,062) with decreases of 1.72% and 1.57%, respectively, according to the Bumeran Labor Market Index.

For the specialist, during 2023, the economic uncertainty It led companies to lower their demand for personnel and in other cases resort to layoffs. In this context, workers saw their ability to negotiate better salaries limited and therefore lowered their expectations.

While for this year, although a moderate improvement is expected, this will depend on the development and impact that the El Niño Phenomenon has on the productive sectors.

Gender gap

Another significant piece of information that the study reveals is the distance between what women expect to earn compared to that of men, which in this last year grew by 18% when in 2022 it was 10%. While Women aspired to a salary of S/2,924, in the case of men it reached S/3,458.

According to Pineda, this gap occurs mainly because there are very few women who apply for management or supervisory positions. “Of those who apply for these high-ranking positions, 70% are men, while the other 30% are the few women who dare, so that keeps them a little away from aspiring to better positions.” wages“, Explain.

Regarding labor supply, throughout 2023, the production, supply and logistics sector has maintained the highest number of job applications (26%); However, the commercial sector (27%) was the one that had the most notices, that is, the area where companies sought to attract more talent.