A report from UNSAM reveals that 90% of the 213,000 new employees between 2025 and 2026 need to work more hours to cover their expenses, in a context of record informality at 44.2%.
Nine out of ten people who found work in the last year in Argentina cannot cover their expenses with their current employment. This is revealed by a report from the Training and Studies on Work and Development (Cetyd) of the National University of San Martín (UNSAM), which analysed the labour market between the first quarter of 2025 and the same period in 2026.
According to the study, 213,000 people joined the labour market during this period, but more than 90% of them need to work more hours to generate sufficient income. However, most cannot do so: formal employees have fixed hours and informal or independent workers cannot increase their sales due to retracted consumption.
Informality at Record Highs and Wages Losing Against Inflation
The report highlights that labour informality reached 44.2% in the first quarter of 2026. The occupations that grew were mostly informal, both salaried and independent, while formal employment decreased. “So far, the informal sector has served as a containment space for that demand for work,” notes Cetyd.
This situation does not resolve the income equation for families. The average salary in March 2026 was $2,207,129, a nominal increase of 31.6% year-on-year, but below the inflation rate of 32.6%. The median remuneration, which better reflects what half of the workers earn, was $1,540,251, with a rise of 28.1%, 4.5 points below inflation.
Disposable Income Remains 14.5% Below 2023 Levels
Disposable income —the money left after paying fixed expenses— remains 14.5% below the average from January to September 2023, despite a slight rebound in April 2026. This explains why 61% of respondents surveyed by consulting firm Zentrix state that their income lasts them until the 20th of each month at most.
Moreover, 86.1% of Argentines believe that their salary does not keep up with inflation, according to the same survey. Only 13% manage to cover all their expenses and save. The lack of work (38%), corruption (38%), and low wages (35%) are the main concerns, according to the Political Satisfaction and Public Opinion Survey by UdeSA.
For workers looking to improve their income, the most common route is to seek a second job or increase hours in their current one, but market conditions make this difficult. The Cetyd report concludes that “the increase in the number of employed, far from constituting a virtuous process, is the manifestation of a scenario where necessity forces more work, but occupations do not guarantee adequate income.”
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