A laborer in the metallurgical sector of Guipúzcoa earns a salary 30% higher for each hour worked than that of an engineer from Cuenca, according to the report "Collective bargaining in the metal industry and services in 2052" prepared by the employers' association Confemetal. The document highlights the significant salary dispersion existing among the different provincial metal agreements.
According to this study, in up to 13 Spanish provinces, engineers in the metal sector receive an hourly wage lower than that of a laborer in Guipúzcoa, a territory that leads in compensation for this professional category.
In detail, a laborer in the metallurgical industry in Guipúzcoa earns 16.2 euros per hour, an amount that is above what engineers from Cuenca (12.47 euros), Badajoz (12.80 euros), Jaén (13.08 euros), Cáceres (13.19 euros), Lleida (13.25 euros), Ciudad Real (13.57 euros), Murcia (14.13 euros), Lugo (14.29 euros), Castellón (14.65 euros), Soria (15.13 euros), Ourense (15.31 euros), Salamanca (15.51 euros), and Almería (16.18 euros) earn per hour.
Confemetal details that these figures come from the salary tables of the provincial collective agreements of the siderometalurgical industry for 2025 and that, for their calculation, the base salary, group salary, extraordinary payments, and certain bonuses, such as transportation, have been added. Other concepts, including those related to specific job conditions, overtime, or seniority supplements, have not been included.
According to the report, in 2025 the average hourly wage across the metal sector for the category of former laborer was 11.96 euros, which represents almost a 3.4% increase compared to 2024. Additionally, the four professional groups analyzed (former laborer, former worker, former administrative, and former licensed engineer) recorded increases in their hourly compensation compared to the previous year.
The state average for hours worked reaches 13.06 euros for the skilled worker, a 3.4% increase compared to 2024; 13.56 euros for the administrative official (+3.38%) and 18.30 euros for the engineer (+3.36%).
Guipúzcoa, leading in salary across all metal categories
The territorial differences in hourly wage are notable. Guipúzcoa and Navarra lead the remuneration of metal workers, with 16.2 and 15.88 euros per hour, respectively, while Cuenca, Cáceres, and Lleida are at the lower end, with 9.28; 10.15; and 10.26 euros per hour.
In the group of engineers, Guipúzcoa, Girona, and Pontevedra are the provinces with the best conditions, with 27.71; 25.33; and 24.19 euros per hour, respectively. At the opposite end are Cuenca (12.47 euros) and Badajoz (12.80 euros per hour).
In the category of laborers, the lowest wages correspond to Cuenca (10.54 euros per hour) and Guadalajara (11.04 euros per hour), compared to Guipúzcoa and Navarra, where the highest remunerations are recorded, with 18 and 17.09 euros per hour, respectively.
Regarding administrative staff, Guipúzcoa and Navarra again top the ranking, with 19.57 and 17.09 euros per hour, respectively. At the lower end are Cuenca (10.69 euros) and Cáceres (11 euros).
Between 2019 and 2025, the hourly wage of metal industry workers has grown by 20.8%, reaching an average of 11.96 euros, while that of laborers has advanced by 21.5%, up to 13.06 euros per hour. In the same period, the remuneration of administrative staff has increased by 21.7%, reaching an average of 13.56 euros in 2025, and that of licensed engineers has risen by 22.6%, up to 18.30 euros per hour.
The structure of collective bargaining in the metal industry is organized around the State Metal Agreement (CEM), which sets the common framework for issues such as professional classification, training, or occupational risk prevention. From there, a wide network of provincial and regional agreements adapts working conditions to the economic and productive reality of each territory.
This conventional framework covers a network of about 220,000 companies and more than two million workers linked to activities such as manufacturing, installations, maintenance, repair, and specialized metal commerce.