The money went to wages, not to making government work better.
En Perú, una brecha salarial de casi 30% entre el sector público y el privado lleva más de un año ensanchándose, no como fruto del mérito ni de la eficiencia estatal, sino de convenios colectivos y mejoras contractuales desvinculadas del desempeño. Lo que debería ser señal de un Estado más capaz se convierte, en cambio, en advertencia sobre la rigidez fiscal y el deterioro silencioso de la meritocracia. La historia que subyace no es solo de números salariales, sino de cómo las sociedades distribuyen recompensas y qué valores institucionales consolidan con cada decisión presupuestaria.
- El trabajador público promedio gana S/ 3,855 al mes frente a S/ 2,946 en el sector privado, una diferencia que en enero llegó a rozar el 40% y que no muestra señales de revertirse.
- Durante catorce meses consecutivos, los salarios estatales han crecido a un ritmo más de tres veces superior al del sector privado, mientras que la remuneración privada real cayó 3.2% respecto al nivel prepandemia.
- Las mejoras salariales en el Estado se han aprobado sin criterios de productividad ni evaluación de desempeño, erosionando la meritocracia y expulsando a los profesionales más calificados hacia el sector privado o al extranjero.
- El gasto en planilla pública se proyecta en 21% del total de la masa salarial del país para 2026, creando una rigidez fiscal que obliga al gobierno a recortar inversión productiva antes que nómina cuando ajusta el presupuesto.
- Expertos exigen que cualquier aumento salarial en el Estado quede atado a métricas de productividad medibles y que el Ministerio de Economía lleve ante el Tribunal Constitucional las propuestas sin sustento técnico.
Los trabajadores del sector público peruano ganan hoy cerca de 30% más que sus pares del sector privado, una brecha que se ha mantenido durante catorce meses consecutivos. En junio, sin el efecto distorsionador de gratificaciones, el empleado público promedio recibió S/ 3,855 mensuales frente a S/ 2,946 en el sector privado. Entre enero y julio de este año, los salarios estatales crecieron 5.2% mientras los privados apenas avanzaron 1.5%. Medidos contra el nivel prepandemia, los sueldos privados retrocedieron 3.2% en términos reales; los públicos saltaron 9.1%.
Jorge Toyama, especialista en derecho laboral, sitúa el origen de esta tendencia hace aproximadamente seis años. La confluencia de factores es clara: aceleración del gasto público, mejoras salariales para trabajadores CAS sin criterios de mérito, convenios colectivos que empujan los sueldos hacia arriba cada año, y un sector privado golpeado primero por la pandemia y luego por los desastres naturales de 2023. El Estado, en cambio, nunca redujo su planilla ni absorbió los choques externos de la misma manera.
Sin embargo, los mayores salarios no han producido mejores servicios. Pablo del Águila, de Apoyo Consultoría, señala que no existe evidencia de que las mejoras salariales se hayan traducido en ganancias tangibles para los ciudadanos. Peor aún, los aumentos generalizados han debilitado la meritocracia estatal: el perfil técnico promedio del empleado público se ha deteriorado, y los profesionales más calificados optan por el sector privado o emigran.
Las consecuencias fiscales preocupan a los economistas. El gasto en planilla es políticamente difícil de revertir, y cuando el Ministerio de Economía necesita ajustar el presupuesto, sacrifica inversión productiva antes que salarios. Del Águila propone vincular cualquier aumento futuro a indicadores de productividad concretos y fortalecer la disciplina presupuestaria. La pregunta que queda abierta es si el gobierno impondrá esa racionalidad o seguirá ampliando una brecha que pesa sobre las finanzas públicas sin mejorar lo que el Estado le entrega a la ciudadanía.
Peru's public sector workers are earning substantially more than their private counterparts, and the gap has been widening for over a year. In June, when bonuses and year-end payments were not inflating the numbers, the average public employee took home S/ 3,855 monthly—nearly 30 percent more than the S/ 2,946 earned by private sector workers. The difference extends beyond a single month. From January through July of this year, public sector salaries climbed 5.2 percent while private wages rose just 1.5 percent. Over the same period, private sector compensation actually fell 3.2 percent when measured against the pre-pandemic baseline, while public sector pay jumped 9.1 percent.
The wage divergence has been consistent for fourteen months, dating back to June 2024. In some months the gap widens dramatically—in January this year, public salaries exceeded private ones by nearly 40 percent. Even in July, typically a month when private sector bonuses distort comparisons, public workers still earned 4.1 percent more than their private counterparts. A year earlier, the situation was reversed. The consulting firm Apoyo Consultoría projects that public sector workers will account for 21 percent of Peru's total wage bill by 2026, up from 17 percent in 2014. In 2024, the average public employee earned S/ 4,200 monthly against S/ 2,700 in the private sector. Between 2022 and 2025, public sector wages grew 17 percent in total while private sector wages rose 11 percent.
Jorge Toyama, a labor law specialist at Vinatea & Toyama, traces this trend back roughly six years. The causes are interconnected. Public spending has accelerated significantly, with payroll consuming an expanding share. The government has approved salary improvements for workers on temporary administrative service contracts—known as CAS—without applying merit-based criteria. These workers now earn substantially more than employees under the traditional civil service regime established by Legislative Decree 276. Collective bargaining agreements push wages upward annually. The private sector, meanwhile, suffered from pandemic disruptions and natural disasters like the 2023 flooding that damaged productive capacity. Public sector operations continued uninterrupted; salaries were not reduced. When inflation spiked in 2023, it squeezed private business margins while public payroll remained protected.
Yet higher public sector wages have not translated into better government services. Pablo del Águila, research director at Apoyo Consultoría, noted the disconnect: one would expect salary improvements to correlate with improved public service delivery, but the data shows no such tangible gains. Toyama added that across-the-board raises unmoored from performance have corroded meritocracy in the state apparatus. When Pedro Castillo took office, a wave of technocrats departed government, making the public sector less attractive to skilled professionals. Today a typical state employee earns more than the national average but often lacks the technical credentials the role demands. The best-qualified professionals are increasingly choosing private sector careers or emigrating altogether.
The fiscal implications trouble economists. Del Águila explained that while wage increases benefit workers' families and boost consumer spending, they create long-term economic headwinds. Public spending is rigid—politically and socially difficult to reverse. When the Finance Ministry seeks to trim the budget, it cuts productive investments rather than payroll. The government has limited fiscal room to absorb these commitments. Del Águila called for wage increases to be explicitly tied to measurable productivity gains and for the Finance Ministry to enforce spending discipline. Unfounded salary proposals, he suggested, should be escalated to the Constitutional Court. The question now is whether Peru's government will impose restraint on public sector compensation or continue down a path that strains the budget while failing to improve the services citizens receive.
Notable Quotes
When we look at public service improvement indicators, one would expect salary improvements to link to greater dynamism in the state apparatus. But the numbers don't show very tangible improvements.— Pablo del Águila, research director at Apoyo Consultoría
A state worker in general now earns more than the average, but without the proper technical qualifications. One would expect these resources to attract top talent or target specific positions, not across-the-board increases.— Jorge Toyama, labor law specialist at Vinatea & Toyama
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did public sector wages start pulling away from private sector pay around June 2024? What triggered the shift?
It wasn't a single trigger—it's been building for six years. But the acceleration came from a combination of things: the government started spending more on payroll, they approved raises for temporary contract workers without any merit review, and collective bargaining kept pushing wages up. Meanwhile, the private sector was still recovering from the pandemic and getting hit by natural disasters. The state just kept paying.
So the private sector was actually shrinking while the public sector expanded?
Not exactly shrinking, but losing dynamism. Private companies had to manage inflation, production disruptions, weather damage. Their margins got squeezed. The public sector didn't face those pressures—they didn't cut anyone, didn't reduce salaries. They just kept growing.
If public workers are earning 30 percent more, shouldn't Peru's government services be noticeably better?
That's the uncomfortable question everyone's asking. The answer is no. Services haven't improved tangibly. You'd expect better schools, faster bureaucracy, more efficient agencies. Instead you see the same problems. The money went to wages, not to making government work better.
What happens to the quality of government if you keep raising salaries without caring about performance?
Meritocracy dies. You end up with people in important positions who don't have the skills to do the job well. The talented ones—the engineers, the economists, the administrators who actually know how to run things—they leave for private companies or they emigrate. You're left paying more for less capability.
Can the government actually afford to keep doing this?
That's the real crisis. Public spending is sticky—you can't just cut payroll for political reasons. So when the budget gets tight, they cut investment instead. Roads don't get built, schools don't get upgraded. The Finance Ministry is trapped. They need to start saying no to wage increases that aren't tied to actual productivity gains.
Is there any mechanism to stop this?
The research director at Apoyo suggested sending unfounded salary proposals to the Constitutional Court. But that requires political will. Right now, the government seems to be on autopilot, approving raises without asking whether they're justified or sustainable.