Paraguay President claims half of 500,000 job creation goal met amid informality concerns

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced that his administration has achieved half of its target to generate 500,000 new jobs during his term. This claim was a central point in his management report, emphasizing economic progress alongside indicators like GDP growth, maintaining investment grade, and reducing poverty.

Official figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show an increase in employment, with approximately 118,000 people finding work in 2025. Combined with 2024's progress, this brings the total new occupations to over 242,000, aligning with the government's narrative of being halfway to its 500,000-job goal. However, the data also points to a rise in self-employment and part-time work, alongside persistent high labor informality.

While the quantity of jobs has increased, the statistics suggest underlying issues of precariousness and reduced formal employment rights. In a related economic measure, President Peña also cited the recent 5% increase in the minimum wage, stating it surpassed inflation and raised the minimum wage to G. 3,044,000, though this move also generated tension with the business sector.

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half of the goal of generating 500,000 new jobs