Decreased Minimum Salaries for EU Blue Card, Fast-Tracked Foreign Employees
15 Aug 13
SPAIN
Effective immediately, there are new, lower minimum salary thresholds for EU Blue Card holders and foreign employees who use the fast-track process. The Instituto Nacional de Estadistica recently updated the minimum salaries for various fields in the Clasificación Nacional de Actividades Económicas (National Classification of Economic Activities, or CNAE). Due to the recent economic downturn, the thresholds for some foreign workers have been lowered accordingly. Although the formula for determining the minimum salary for EU Blue Card holders has not changed, the base salary for each field specified in the CNAE has decreased, so Blue Card salaries are effectively lowered.
The table below is a guide to the changes in minimum salary for EU Blue Card holders and foreign employees using the fast-track process. Gross salaries are expressed in euros.
| Type of Hire | Employee Type | Previous Minimum | New Minimum |
| Intra-company transfers | Highly qualified employees | 28,254.40 | 28,001.24 |
| Senior managers | 56,508.80 | 56,002.48 | |
| Local hires with work permits processed through fast track | Highly qualified employees | 28,254.40 | 28,001.24 |
| Senior managers | 56,508.80 | 56,002.48 | |
| EU Blue Card | Specific shortage skills | 1.2 times the minimum gross salary for the specific field | 1.2 times the minimum gross salary for the specific field |
| Other skills | 1.5 times the minimum gross salary for the specific field | 1.5 times the minimum gross salary for the specific field |
A foreign employee is eligible for the fast-track process if he or she is:
- Hired by a Large Business Unit (Unidad de Grandes Empresas, or UGE) company.
- A university professor hired by a Spanish university.
- A highly-skilled scientist or technology expert hired by a state or local government.
- A renowned artist or technician participating in a culturally relevant project.
- A senior manager or highly-skilled employee participating in a project found to have significant public interest. Qualifying projects are those that can be shown to result in job creation, local socioeconomic investment or scientific or technological innovation.
View the updated CNAE salaries at the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica website.
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