Labor Market Trends: Salary Expectations and Economic Stability in 2025

While the required salary exceeds the average of $1,000, there is a noticeable deterioration compared to the last quarter of 2024. However, there is some optimism. “Although the beginning of the year shows a slight fall, the long-term trend is positive, since this increase suggests that the labor market maintains a progressive recovery,” said Miguel Bechara, commercial director at Bumeran Peru.

Bechara added, “This reduction takes place in a context of economic stability in the country, evidenced by a controlled annual inflation rate of 1.85% and a recent reduction in the interest rate by 25 basis points, placing it at 4.75%.” These conditions have generated, under the consideration of the expert, a more predictable environment, which could have led professionals to moderate their salary expectations.

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Salary Expectations by Seniority

Seniority encompasses the experience and qualifications of a professional; in essence, the degree of expertise. In this context, the report showed that the salary claims for boss or supervisor positions averaged $1,200, marking the worst result since mid-2020.

Bechara explained this trend by noting that, from 2024 to the present, there has been a preference among companies to opt for junior leaders, a trend that has not yet reversed. “This preference directly impacts the salary expectations of the most experienced professionals to be competitive against the context,” he argued.

For the semi-senior and senior segments, the salary aspiration stood at $930, while junior positions, primarily sought by the young, demanded $565. In both cases, January meant a setback.

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Positions with Greater Salary Expectation

What are the best salaries intended by Seniority? In the chief or supervisor segment, the position of General Management/Directorate presents the highest requested salary, at $2,350. The lowest in this category is work in Box with $555.

In the senior and semi-senior segment, Design is the position that shows the greatest salary claim, at $1,650. The lowest amount is recorded by Laboratory with an expectation of $415.

In the Junior segment, the position of Automotive Engineering is the one with the highest salary claim, at $965. While Social Work is positioned as the lowest, with an aspiration of $280.

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Jobs with Greater Volume of Applications

During January 2025, the job positions that occupied the first place in the volume of applications were Administration with 8.13%; Mining/Oil/Gas with 4.99%; and Commercial with 4.41%. The ranking is completed by customer service and accounting profiles, for example.

On the other hand, the jobs that registered the largest amount of work notices on the portal were those of Sales with 8.98% of the total offers; Commercial with 7.60%; and Administration with 3.86%.

“Sales positions are part of the sectors that are characterized by greater mobility, in addition to also relating to the particular moment of the year in which there is a high demand for these profiles,” said the representative of Bumeran.

Gender Gap in Salary Expectation

The Bumeran Index accumulated a salary gap required of 9.86%. In detail, the average remuneration requested by men was $900 per month, while women’s was $820.

Compared to the previous month, the salary requested by men decreased by 2.82%; and that of women, 4.50%.

Additionally, the data shows that as seniority progresses, there is more distance between the salary claim of men and women, “Which directly impacts the average salary,” Bechara added.

In sum, the relative amount of female applications is lower and more translates in the level of boss or supervisor: Male postulation covers 69.88% and female, only 30.12%.

“The inequalities and gender biases present in society impact on how women perceive the value of their work,” Bechara considered.

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