With salaries in some businesses barely exceeding the equivalent of one dollar a day, private enterprises in Cuba face challenges in finding and retaining workers.
Restaurants, printing shops, and construction crews are seeking employees but struggling to maintain stable workforces, while the rising cost of living is making it increasingly unappealing to rely on a single job.
A report by Havana Times, based on testimonies collected in Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila, exposes a contradiction that affects both workers and small business owners: the former find wages insufficient, while the latter struggle to hire staff.
One of the most representative cases is the D'Ichín restaurant, which specializes in Chinese cuisine. It reopened in Camagüey on October 10 under new private management, and just three days later, advertisements started circulating to hire waiters, kitchen assistants, and cooks.
The offer stipulated a base salary of 900 Cuban pesos per day, in addition to an additional compensation that would be defined during the interview. At the current informal exchange rate, that amount is approximately equivalent to 1.08 US dollars per day.
The announcements provoked criticism on social media, where some users questioned whether that compensation could be attractive to experienced workers.
Havana Times attempted to obtain statements from the restaurant administration, but had not received a response by the time of publishing its report.
However, the difficulty is not limited to one establishment: at the Nü House bar-restaurant, also located in Camagüey, there have been calls for hiring pizza makers and kitchen assistants, despite the business maintaining significant commercial activity, according to testimonies gathered by the outlet.
A former worker explained that the assistants received about 1,250 pesos per shift, while the pizza makers and other cooks earned between 2,000 and 3,000 pesos, depending on sales.
He stated that the salaries had not been updated for months, despite the increase in menu prices.
According to his testimony, a meal for two people at the establishment rarely costs less than 20,000 Cuban pesos. That amount is equivalent to more than six times the national minimum monthly salary of 3,210 pesos.
The comparison highlights the gap between the prices that some private businesses charge for their services and what they can afford to pay their workers.
Other entrepreneurs described similar problems: Leandro, the owner of a printing business in Camagüey, stated that he must continually train new employees because many leave their positions shortly after starting.
At times, the lack of staff has forced him to attend directly to customers in order to keep the establishment open.
Iván Ortiz, owner of a crew specialized in roof construction, stated that he has had to turn down contracts due to the instability of his workers.
His interpretation was that people do not want to work, although testimonies about salaries and working conditions provide a more complex explanation.
For many employees, the problem doesn't seem to be merely finding a job, but rather ensuring that this job meets their basic needs.
An informal survey cited by Havana Times among 25 private workers from Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila found that only three had permanent contracts and that more than half combined two or more jobs.
The salary increases reported by participants did not exceed an average of 20% over the past 12 months.
Although these results do not represent a representative survey of private employment in Cuba, the testimonies help to illustrate some of the working conditions faced by the interviewees.
One of the most revealing cases is precisely that of the former employee of Nü House, who explained that he ended up leaving the restaurant to dedicate himself to selling bread on the street.
The worker described a reality where enduring long hours does not guarantee sufficient income. His decision also reflects the appeal that self-employed activities, even informal ones, can have compared to fixed-salary jobs that are rapidly losing value.
The decline in labor income coincides with persistent inflation. According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), prices in Cuba have surged by 24.85% over the first nine months of 2026, while the year-on-year inflation rate reached 28.44% in September.
The increase in prices was particularly pronounced for essential products and services. Food and non-alcoholic beverages experienced a year-on-year inflation rate of 42.66%, while restaurants and hotels reached 39.11%.
These figures illustrate how an increase in nominal wages can be inadequate when prices rise at a faster rate.
A worker may receive more pesos than a year ago and still have less real capacity to buy food, get transportation, or cover household expenses.
Cuban economist Omar Everleny Pérez estimated that a household of two people needed approximately 61,710 pesos per month to cover basic needs, excluding extraordinary expenses, celebrations, or recreational activities.
Subsequently, in September, he updated his estimate of food expenses for two people in Havana, placing it at 47,135 pesos per month.
As a reference, the average state salary recorded in August was 7,354 pesos per month. This means that the income of an average state worker would amount to less than one-eighth of the monthly budget of 61,710 pesos calculated for a household of two people.
The comparison does not imply that all families depend on a single income or that all private sector workers receive similar wages. It does allow for an understanding of the gap between certain income levels and the estimated cost of everyday needs.
Amidst this scenario, the new , came into effect on September 25 with provisions aimed at regulating labor relations in both the state and non-state sectors.
The legislation establishes hiring and labor protection obligations for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. Article 455 recognizes the authority of these entities to hire workers and requires that they guarantee the labor rights and social security provisions outlined in the Code itself.
However, the existence of new legal provisions does not alone guarantee adequate salaries nor does it eliminate the economic challenges that affect the labor market.
In an analysis of the new legislation, the Code maintains the Cuban peso as the reference currency for salary payments, even in certain hiring modalities related to foreign companies.
The issue of insufficient wages is not limited to the private sector. Low government salaries, inflation, shortages of goods, and the devaluation of the national currency are part of a broader economic crisis, where job opportunities do not always translate into better living conditions.
Related videos:
Filed under: