Over 72,000 companies seek compensation for increase in minimum salary
"So far 72,415 companies have made a request for compensation for the increase in the value of the Minimum Monthly Guaranteed Wage 2022," said the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI).
More than 72,000 companies in Portugal have applied for compensation for the increase in the statutory national minimum salary in 2022, for a total of €40.5 million in requested reimbursements, an official source at IAPMEI, the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, which is overseeing the scheme, has told Lusa.
“So far 72,415 companies have made a request for compensation for the increase in the value of the Minimum Monthly Guaranteed Wage 2022,” said the IAPMEI source, adding that this “corresponds to an overall amount of around €40.5 million in reimbursements.”
According to the data, requests for 100% compensation, worth €112, cover 305,965 workers. In the case of 50% compensation, of €56, the measure covers 111,140 workers.
According to IAPMEI, the total number of companies that can make use of this support is 218,218, employing 1,106,152 workers.
The IAPMEI platform that allows companies to request compensation for the increase in the national minimum wage in 2022 became available eight days ago, on February 1.
Companies that do not register on the platform by March 1 will lose their right to the subsidy.
The national minimum wage has increased this year to €705, up from €665 in 2021.
The compensation for the increase in the national minimum wage is intended for employers that in their remuneration statement for December 2021 had full-time employees whose declared basic pay was equal to or higher than the 2021 minimum wage (€665) and lower than the 2022 figure (€705).
The allowance is €112 for each worker who in December 2021 was earning the national minimum wage (€665), but is 50% of that amount in the case of workers who earned more than €665 and less than €705.
The compensation is also €112 per worker in cases where the value of remuneration was higher than €665 and lower than €705 by application of a collective labour regulation instrument.
Portugal’s social security system is responsible for determining the employers and the number of workers covered that meet the conditions to benefit from the measure, with the compensation to be paid by IAPMEI or the Portuguese Tourism Institute.
Payment is to be made within 30 days counting from March 1, 2022.
