Summer salaries in the Balearics increased more than in any other region of Spain. National Statistics Institute figures show that there was a five per cent difference between the average salary in the third quarter 2017 and the same quarter this year.
The explanation for the increase lies with the collective agreements for key sectors, especially hotels. Salaries went up five per cent across the board in the hotel sector this year, and they will continue to go up under a 17% total increase until 2020.
Despite the rise, the Balearic average salary this summer - 1,795.60 euros - was 47 euros below the national average. It also ranked a fair bit lower than certain other regions. The highest salary (where there was a 3.6% increase) was 2,279.45 in the Basque Country. The Basque economy, although it has a significant tourism element, is very different and more broad-based than the Balearic economy. The same can be said of Catalonia. That region attracts more tourists than any other, but it is not as reliant on tourism as the Balearics. The average salary in Catalonia was 1,911.73 euros.
Of the big five sun and beach summer tourism regions - Andalusia, the Balearics, the Canaries, Catalonia and Valencia - the Balearic average was higher than the others, with the exception of Catalonia.
As well as the collective agreement for the hospitality sector, other arrangements include a ten per cent rise in the transport sector up to 2020 and 6.5% for retailing up to 2019. These agreements have benefited some 150,000 employees in the Balearics.
