Cuban businesses offer daily pay near one dollar
A Camagüey restaurant lists a base rate of 900 Cuban pesos per day as private companies struggle to fill jobs and retain workers.
Private Cuban businesses are having difficulty filling jobs and retaining workers as pay at some establishments barely exceeds the equivalent of one dollar per day. Restaurants, print shops and construction crews are among the operations seeking staff without achieving stable workforces. Rising living costs make those jobs less attractive, while some workers try to combine positions or find other sources of income.
The D'Ichín restaurant, which specializes in Chinese food, offers a specific example. The business reopened in Camagüey on October 10 under new private management and advertised a vacancy with a base salary of 900 Cuban pesos per day. The listing added compensation whose amount would be decided during the interview, so total pay was not fixed in advance. At the cited informal exchange rate, the base wage was about $1.08 per day.
The problem extends beyond one business. Employers seek workers but do not manage to build stable teams. Accounts from Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila describe both sides of the gap: small-business owners struggle to maintain staff, while workers may combine jobs or seek alternative income when pay loses value against living costs.
The situation coincides with Cuba's new Labor Code, Law 189/2026, taking effect September 25. The law contains provisions regulating labor relations. In the restaurant example, the concrete figure is the daily base wage, with additional compensation left to negotiation. Low offers, rising prices and the search for staff expose a practical challenge for businesses and workers: filling jobs and sustaining income under increasingly expensive living conditions.