*El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has proposed raising the minimum wage for agriculture, maquila, industry, and trade & services by 12% as of June 2025. Currently the monthly minimum wage for agriculture is US$243, rising to US$359 for maquilas and US$365 for trade, services and industry. Annual inflation was running at 0.14% in March on the latest figures from the central bank (BCR). According to Salvadorean law, the country’s minimum wage is revised every three years which, a local think tank Fundación de Estudios para la Aplicación del Derecho (Fespad) points out, is the longest gap between revisions in Central America: Nicaragua revises its minimum wage every six months; Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, once a year; while in Panama it is done every two years. Writing on social media, Bukele underlined other efforts to reduce the cost-of-living crisis – a leading public complaint. Claiming that the cost of the basic basket of goods had dropped, he cited examples of tomatoes which he said had dropped in price from US$1 per four tomatoes in July 2024 to US$1 per 25 tomatoes now. Bukele also claimed that less than a year ago potatoes cost US$1.30 per pound but now cost US$1 per three pounds. However, Danilo Pérez, the director of leading consumer rights organisation Centro para la Defensa del Consumidor (CDC), told local radio station Radio YSKL that the rise was “minimal and would not have an impact”, adding that a 25% rise would be necessary to mitigate the costs of a basic basket of goods.
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