In
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the RÃo de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, a ''ñoqui'' (English:
gnocchi
Gnocchi are a varied family of pasta-like dumplings in Italian cuisine. They are made of small rolls of dough, such as those composed of a simple combination of wheat flour,Buonassisi, recipe #831-833 potato,Buonassisi, recipe #854-857 egg,Buonas ...
) is a person who is legally registered as a worker, usually for the government, and receives a monthly wage, but who performs little or no work. Such individuals are called ''ñoquis'' because many Argentines and Uruguayans traditionally eat
ñoquis on the 29th day of every month, around the time when people receive their monthly paychecks.
People may hold ''ñoqui'' positions for several reasons. Some are the recipients of political favors and/or
nepotism
Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...
, while others work to promote partisan agendas instead of performing their nominal duties. Still others are disabled or continue to receive paychecks by mistake, such as the dead, retired, or those who have moved on to other positions.
[
A 2015 study by ]KPMG
KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...
estimated that 5 to 7 percent of Argentine public sector employees were ''ñoquis'', which would be more than 200,000 individuals each receiving an average monthly salary of 8,000 pesos.[ ]
History
Upon taking office as chief of government of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the RÃo de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
in 2007, Mauricio Macri
Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
fired 2,400 city employees who he claimed were ''ñoquis''. This action led to strikes and conflict with the city's unions.
See also
* Sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...
* No-show job
A no-show job or fictitious employment is a paid position that ostensibly requires the holder to perform duties, but for which no work, or even attendance, is actually expected. The awarding of no-show jobs is a form of political corruption, politi ...
References
Corruption in Argentina
Labor in Argentina
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