According to a recent report by the Germán Abdala Foundation, two out of three state workers have another job to sustain their incomes, due to the freezing of wage negotiations and the decline in purchasing power. The survey, conducted in national, provincial, and municipal state offices, indicates that 64% of public employees have more than one job, while only 36% rely on a single income. 71% of public employees say they are looking for another job, even among those who already have more than one. Only 42% express a willingness to pursue a career within the state, a sign of growing disenchantment with public sector employment. The increase in multiple jobs is not limited to the state sector: it affects more than 2.4 million workers nationwide, 16.6% of the economically active population. The main cause, analysts say, is the deterioration of real incomes. A study by the Mediterranean Foundation estimates that one in five Argentine workers is poor: 4.5 million people who, despite having formal employment, cannot afford to cover the basic food basket. Among informal salaried workers, 37.5% live below the poverty line, while among unregistered self-employed workers, the figure rises to 40.5%. In the northern provinces, where informality exceeds 50%, labor poverty intensifies: Tucumán, San Juan, Salta, and Santiago del Estero top the ranking. Multiple Jobs in the State - Working Paper. Source: https://www.infogremiales.com.ar/con-paritarias-congeladas-crece-el-pluriempleo-entre-los-trabajadores-del-estado/ Among those with multiple jobs, 44% combine two jobs, 17% have three, and 3% hold more than three. The study notes that 52% of state employees earn less than one million pesos a month, an amount below the total cost of the basic food basket needed for a typical family not to be poor. In addition to wage loss, public sector employment is becoming more precarious: only 58% of staff has job security (permanent or temporary), while the rest work under temporary or precarious hiring modalities. “The need to resort to multiple jobs to achieve a decent income generates physical and mental exhaustion, burnout, and frustration, affecting not only the lives of individuals but also the quality of public services,” the report warns. Since the start of the libertarian government, more than 35,000 public employees have been dismissed under the “chainsaw plan”. A report by the Germán Abdala Foundation revealed that 64% of public employees have more than one job to compensate for income loss and the wage freeze imposed by the Government. The phenomenon of the “working poor” is growing. By Infogremiales. Amid the government's fiscal adjustment policy under Javier Milei, the situation of public sector employment is facing a silent crisis. Meanwhile, the Minister of Economy, Luis “Toto” Caputo, imposed a strict freeze on public sector wage negotiations, with the argument of controlling public spending. For the unions, the strategy constitutes “the perfect attack”: low wages, precariousness, and media harassment.
