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Argentina

World bank, 2021
Poverty headcount ratio at $6.85 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population)
11%
Population below international poverty line

Equivalent to 156,000 Argentine pesos per worker per month.
WageIndicator Foundation, 2023

832
per month
National minimum wage

Living Wage Reference Value. Equivalent to 232,709 Argentine pesos per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coaliton, 2023

1,241
per month
Urban living wage

Living Income Reference Value. Equivalent to 265,611 Argentine pesos for a typical family in rural Argentina per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2023

1,416
per month
Rural living income
World bank, 2021
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
8%
Agricultural workforce
World bank, 2021
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP)
7%
Agriculture share of GDP

ITUC Global Rights Index, 2023
Regular violation of rights.
 

3
medium
Risk to workers' rights

Context

Argentina has a population of roughly 46 million people.[1] The country is highly urbanized with 92% of its population living in cities[2] and only 8% residing in rural areas.[3] The agricultural sector in Argentina represents 7% of the national GDP[4]and employs 8% of the workforce.[5]

Argentina is one of the most important countries in terms of food exports worldwide. The agricultural sector is dominated by large scale farms, specifically in the region of Pampas. This region has undergone an important agricultural transformation through mechanization and increased production and has favored the cultivation of grains and soybeans.[6] Outside the Pampas, however, rural poverty is on the rise as the rural population has limited access to land and resources. Smallholder farmers struggle with low productivity and are excluded from larger markets and value chains. In addition, smallholder farmers are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to climate change.[7]

The top produced commodities in Argentina are maize, soybeans, wheat, sugar cane, milk and barley.[8] Similarly, Argentina’s top export commodities in terms of quantity are soybeans, maize, wheat and barley.[9]

Footnotes
  1. ^ World Bank (2021). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=AR
  2. ^ World Bank (2021). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=AR
  3. ^ World Bank (2021). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=AR
  4. ^ World Bank (2021). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=AR
  5. ^ World Bank (2021). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=AR
  6. ^ OECD (2019). Agricultural Policies in Argentina. Trade and Agriculture Directorate Committee for Agriculture. https://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=TAD/CA(2018)9/FINAL&docLanguage=En
  7. ^ IFAD. Country Profiles: Argentina. https://www.ifad.org/en/web/operations/country/id/argentina
  8. ^ FAOSTAT (2020). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country
  9. ^ FAOSTAT (2020). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country_exports

Wages

Minimum wage

The national minimum wage in Argentina is set by law at 156,000 Argentine pesos (832 EUR) per month, including retirement benefits. The law establishes different wage levels per sector, starting on this value for domestic workers.[1] Furthermore, the enforcement of labor law is not equal for all sectors, with the informal sectors being hit the hardest despite the fact it employs around to 35% of the national workforce. In many cases, workers could not refuse to compromise their safety without putting their jobs at risk, and the authorities are insufficient to protect them.[2]

 

The Global Living Wage Coalition has developed 2 reference value studies for Argentina based on the Anker methodology. A Living Wage Reference Value for non-metropolitan urban Argentina and a Living Income Reference Value for rural Argentina.

Footnotes
  1. ^ Wage Indicator Foundation (2023). Minimum Wage-Argentina. https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage/argentina.
  2. ^ U.S. Department of State. 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Argentina. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/argentina/

Living wage

The Anker Living Wage Reference Value for non-metropolitan urban Argentina from 2023  is 232,709 Argentine pesos (1241 EUR) per month. This is the wage workers in non-metropolitan urban areas of Argentina would need to afford a basic but decent standard of living.[1]

Footnotes
  1. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2023). Anker Living Wage Reference Value: Non-Metropolitan Urban Argentina. https://www.globallivingwage.org/reference-value/living-wage-reference-value-non-metropolitan-urban-argentina/

Living income

The estimated living income jumped from 123,203 Argentine pesos (657 EUR) per month in 2021 to 265,611 (1416 EUR) in 2023. This is the income rural families require to access a basic but decent living standard in an average rural area of Argentina. Without accounting for inflation, the living income estimated in 2021 would not be sufficient for families to have a basic but decent standard of living in the years following, because the purchasing power of the living income would have decreased.[1]
 
Footnotes
  1. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2023). Anker Living Income Reference Value: Rural Argentina. https://www.globallivingwage.org/reference-value/living-income-reference-value-rural-argentina/

What's happening

resource

Living Wage Reference Value, Non-Metropolitan Urban Argentina

Living wage estimate for workers to be able to afford a basic but decent living standard in urban non-metropolitan areas of Argentina.

resource

Living Income Reference Value, Rural Argentina

Living income estimate for a typical family in rural Argentina to cover the monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living.

initiative

Soybeans and their Economic Effect

This FAO report, focuses on the relationship of the soybean sector with economic growth and poverty in Argentina and Brazil.

initiative

The Invisible Poor-Rural Poverty in Argentina

This report deals with the poorest Argentines, rural populations, whose condition is not visible in official statistics due to urban bias.

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