Working in El Salvador

Economic Overview

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of just over 3,826 USD, making it one of the lowest GDP rates in South America. Rates have remained low for decades and appear unlikely to change, despite the introduction of an integrated currency with the US dollar that was intended to improve the country’s economy. The privatization of many sectors, including public pensions, social services and electric and telephone companies, has had a significant negative impact of the economy of the country.

One of the main sources of income to the nation’s economy is payment from family members working overseas in countries such as America. This foreign income accounts for roughly 200 million USD of El Salvador’s annual economy. The main sectors of industry in the country are agriculture and manufacturing. With 1.3 million acres of arable farmland, coffee, corn, rice and grains are regularly grown in El Salvador. This produce generates a large amount of income for the country, and the coffee industry alone creates 82,000 jobs.

Job Hunting in El Salvador

The steady growth of industrialization in El Salvador, especially in the capital city San Salvador, means that the job market of the country is increasing. English is becoming an important business language in the country, opening up more opportunities for expat workers from around the world. There are plenty of helpful ways to network and find employment vacancies in El Salvador, websites such as LinkedIn can assist workers from overseas in making essential business contacts in the country. In addition to this there are websites such as Latintopjobs and GoAbroad.com, which have El Salvador job sections. It is also worth checking the job pages in the San Salvador newspaper, Diario Latino.

Taxation in El Salvador

The personal income tax rate in El Salvador is calculated on a progressive marginal scale, and can vary depending on the net revenue of an individual. The total income tax amount paid by one individual cannot exceed 25% of their entire income. Earning from sources included paid work, rent, capital gains on stock market transactions and donations are all liable to be taxed in El Salvador.