The real minimum wage "reached in September 2025 a level lower than that of 2001, prior to the collapse of convertibility". The decline affected not only the minimum wage. Buenos Aires, November 17 (NA)—The promise made by President Javier Milei in November 2023 when he was elected, that "in 2025 wages in dollars are going to fly", not only was not fulfilled, but workers' incomes plummeted to historic lows. According to what was learned by the Argentine News Agency, they assure that the government of Javier Milei used workers' salaries "as an anchor for adjustment and the deceleration of inflation". A report from the Latin American Center for Strategic Geopolitics (Celag) revealed that, updated to November 2025, Argentina's minimum wage is the lowest in the entire region. With only 225 dollars, Argentina is in the "caboose", below countries like Bolivia (395 dollars) or Paraguay (411 dollars). A report from the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the UBA warned that the Minimum, Vital and Mobile Wage (SMVM) accumulated a loss of purchasing power of 34% between November 2023 and September 2025. The collapse began in December 2023 (-15%) and January 2024 (-17%). According to INDEC data, registered workers also lost to inflation in September. While inflation that month was 2.1%, wages in the private registered sector advanced only 1.4% and those in the public sector, 1.1%. The data from Celag on general inequality are alarming: two-thirds of the population have incomes below the median and 77% of households have a per capita income below 800 thousand pesos (542 dollars). The ranking is led by Costa Rica (729 dollars), Uruguay (593 dollars) and Chile (567 dollars). Purchasing power lower than in 2001. The deterioration is not only in the regional comparison, but also in internal purchasing power.
