The new Minimum wage Salary for Guatemala Labor market 2025

 Guatemala's minimum wage policy was first introduced during the presidency of Juan José Arévalo (1945-1951) as part of social reforms aimed at improving labor conditions and reducing poverty. 

Nowadays almost all countries have a minimum salary system some very simple so more complicated check out the list of countries with minimum wages .

Juan Jose Arevalo is the father of the current President Bernardo Arevalo.  His father became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945.following a popular uprising against the United States-backed dictator Jorge Ubico that began the Guatemalan Revolution. He remained in office until 1951, surviving 25 coup attempts. He did not contest the election of 1951, instead choosing to hand over power to Jacobo Árbenz. 

As president, he enacted several social reform policies, including an increase in the minimum wage and a series of literacy programs.

Over the years, the minimum wage has been periodically adjusted to address inflation and economic changes.

In December 2024, President Bernardo Arévalo announced an increase in the minimum wage for 2025. Effective January 1, 2025, the minimum wage will rise by 10% for agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, and by 6% for the export and maquila sectors. But soon after publishing the decree if was cancelled and replaced by a new one which lower the increase of the new salary not of 10% but 6%.

This decision aims to enhance workers' purchasing power and stimulate economic growth. However, there are concerns that the increase may pose challenges for small or informal businesses in meeting the new wage requirements.

These adjustments reflect Guatemala's ongoing commitment to balancing economic development with the welfare of its labor force.