The job market in Argentina
Since the economic crisis of 2001, the Argentine economy has seriously improved. Several years of sustained economic growth have permitted the country to resume its development. Nevertheless, unemployment and job insecurity remain high in the country, and illegal work and immigration are recurrent problems. Many Argentines unfortunately still live below the poverty line.
In Argentina, the current minimum wage is 13,630 pesos per month. The legal working time is set at 48 hours per week maximum. Argentine employees are granted 14 days of vacation per year during the first 5 years of employment, then 21 days between 5 and 10 years in employment, 28 days between the 10 and 20 years in employment, and 35 days beyond the 20 years in employment.
There is a distinct lack of skilled workers in several sectors of Argentina's economy, such as in IT, Biology, Technology, and Automobile industries. Foreign engineers and technicians are therefore more likely to find a job in Argentina, especially if they are highly qualified and fluent in Spanish.
As far as unskilled jobs are concerned, competition is much more fierce amongst foreign workers, especially those that don't speak Spanish. However, it is by no means impossible to find work as an unskilled, non-Spanish speaker. Below are five lines of work you can explore, most of which are concentrated in Buenos Aires and the surrounding areas.
Teaching English
English teachers are highly sought-after in Argentina and, while teaching certificates look good on the CV, more often than not the only requirement to teach is the ability to speak the language fluently. The key to teaching English in Argentina is continuity; the longer you are in the country, the more experience you'll accumulate, and establishing contacts over time will mean getting more referrals too. For this reason, teaching is a good choice for anyone planning to spend an extended period of time living and working in Argentina.
Tourism
Thousands of tourists visit Argentina each year, so one industry that commonly seeks English-speakers and foreigners is Tourism. Travel agencies, hostels, and hostels all regularly seek English speakers to make their customers feel more comfortable. You'll find an array of jobs on offer in these places, from proofreading brochures and websites to customer service work, to taking people on guided tours.
Foreign-owned companies
Over the past few years, several foreign-owned companies have opened up shop in Argentina. Website development, financial services, tour companies and human resources are just some of the industries where foreign entrepreneurs are seeking expats to complement their business. It's definitely worth applying for any roles for which you consider yourself suitable, as the pay at international companies tends to be superior compared to most other jobs you'll find in Argentina.
Irish pubs
Fortunately, Irish pubs exist all over Argentina, even in Ushuaia! There are over forty in the city of Buenos Aires alone. These will, of course, hire foreigners and, whereas you might have to speak a little bit of Spanish, they certainly won't require you to be fluent. Picking up casual work in an Irish pub is a good chance to at least make some pocket money and pay the bills, especially seeing as the tipping policy in Argentina is a minimum of 10%.
Telemarketing
Another job opportunity that is often available is Telemarketing, as it's cheaper for British and American companies to export these jobs overseas. However, they still require employees to speak fluent English with their customers.
We hope you found this article useful! For more articles on working in Argentina, visit our website.
Useful links:
Argentine Ministry of Labor
British-Argentine Chamber of Commerce
American-Argentine Chamber of Commerce
Indeed
Xpat Jobs
Job of Mine
Go Abroad
Monster
Overseas Jobs
Trabajando.com
Workana
Craigslist
Buenos Aires Classifieds
