According to ECO, this salary update, which applies to all full-time employees of the Ingka Group – which owns the brand – and takes effect in January 2023, is higher than the National Minimum Wage (SMN), which is expected to increase from the current €705 to the €760 in January 2023.

“We work daily to have a complete and relevant offer of compensation and benefits, of which salary is part. Over the last few years, we have made a constant effort to increase income and support employees, and this is yet another example of that and another step towards ensuring the well-being of our 2,800 retail employees and the stability of their income”, says Cláudio Valente, people & culture manager at Ikea Portugal.

The new base salary is added to the food subsidy, which was also recently updated to six euros, health insurance, parenting aid, and the payment of bonuses – whenever the business objectives are achieved.

The decision to improve working conditions at the company was motivated by the rising cost of living, as well as the increasingly competitive context for talent in the retail sector. The retailer thus accelerated the planned investment in salary updates, by 5.9 million euros.

In retail, Mercadona and Lidl also announced an increase in entry wages. At Mercadona, next year, workers will receive at least 1,034 euros gross monthly (with twelfths included), while Lidl will increase the entry salary of the store and warehouse operators by 10%, which, as of 2023, they earn 820 euros gross.