Paraguay's nighttime minimum wage will rise to G. 3,957,200 starting in July, reflecting a 5% increase over the previous amount of G. 3,768,763. The executive decree also set the nighttime hourly rate at G. 152,200, the daily wage at G. 131,907, and the hourly wage at G. 18,844. Workers hired under a nighttime part-time arrangement will receive G. 21,743 per hour.
The 30% premium over the daytime rate, provided for in the Labor Code, compensates shifts that take place between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and cannot exceed seven hours per day. For mixed shifts, the Ministry of Labor is expected to publish the official pay calculation formula in July.
In the daytime category, the minimum wage increases from G. 2,899,048 to G. 3,044,000. The daily wage for casual workers will be G. 117,077, while salaried employees will receive G. 101,467 per day and G. 12,683 per hour. Daytime part-time work is set at G. 14,637 per hour.
The Minister of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Mónica Recalde, stated that the 5% increase, which represents 2.6% above inflation, was not an arbitrary decision. The ministry issued a legal opinion based on Articles 249 and 250 of the Labor Code to justify the percentage, taking into account indicators such as GDP, GDP per capita, general consumption, formalization, and the behavior of real wages over the last five years, which grew by 1.6%.
Labor lawyer Raúl Mongelós warned that the additional nighttime pay requires registration and effective oversight by the Ministry of Labor. For him, the lack of enforcement is the main cause of non-compliance, especially in roles such as watchmen and security guards. Mongelós noted that informality affects around 75% of the country's workforce, with people who do not receive the minimum wage and lack social security protection.
According to the ministry, workers who do not receive the correct amounts starting in July can file a complaint via WhatsApp by sending text messages to the number (0993) 308-100.