The Panamanian labor market continues to show signs of adjustment. According to the latest INDEX report from March 2026, the average salary sought by applicants was $984. The figure represents a decrease of 0.99% compared to the previous month and a cumulative drop of 7.87% so far this year. In fact, the report highlights that this is the “lowest value since the index was created.”
According to the Konzerta survey, the gender gap persists in economic aspirations. While men request an average of $1,010 per month, women place their requirement at $959, establishing a difference of 5.31%.
A relevant fact is that the intention of men remained unchanged this last month, while that of women fell even further to 0.55%.
By experience levels, the differences are marked. Those who aspire to boss or supervisor positions aim to earn $1,303; in the semi-senior and senior segment the figure drops to $1,017; and for junior positions the average is $745.
Despite the general downward trend, certain areas maintain high expectations, according to the survey. At the leadership level, the Infrastructure department leads with a salary target of $3,000. For senior positions, Civil Engineering ranks at the top with $1,600. In the junior segment, positions related to Design register the highest demand with $900.
In contrast, the lowest salaries are found in maintenance and cleaning positions for the junior level with the idea of receiving a salary of $637 per month and waiters for the senior level of $700.
The Sales and Commercial departments are not only the most sought after by Panamanians, but also the most demanded by companies, together representing almost 25% of job advertisements and applications.
Regarding the profile of job seekers, women are the majority in applications for senior and semi-senior levels.
For their part, men dominate in applications in the junior and management segments. The young segment (18 to 24 years old) constitutes 18.35% of the total candidates, with an average salary aspiration of $735.
