Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 27th January (Europa Press) –
The head of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, stated on Monday that “linking salaries to the CPI is a blunder,” as the focus should be on boosting worker productivity. This approach would result in wage increases that could help the archipelago improve its standing in terms of social exclusion, marginalisation, and poverty.
During a session at the ‘Dialogues to elevate the Canarian business landscape’ organised by the Iberian press and the Grant Thornton 2024 group, he noted that the Canary Islands has concluded “a successful year” in 2024, with optimistic expectations for 2025 as well.
Regarding salaries, he remarked that they rose in the Canary Islands last year at a rate surpassing the Spanish average, aligning with one of the goals of public administrations, which is to “converge” with the national average and “aspire” to reach the European average. He acknowledged that there are moments when he encounters “discrepancies” with employers, as “each party has its own responsibilities.”
Clavijo also highlighted that “another significant challenge” will be absenteeism, an issue that “affects” businesses. Furthermore, some sectors are grappling with “a severe problem” in finding employees.
“They wish to continue hiring, yet they genuinely struggle to find workers in the job market. We are experiencing relatively low unemployment rates historically for the Canary Islands, but the reality is that we still have 160,000 individuals unemployed in our region,” he expressed.
The president urged business leaders to collaborate with the Canary Islands government to promote the islands’ economic and social development, emphasising that “this is not a public versus private issue; it is a partnership between the public and private sectors for the benefit of the Canary Islands.”
