80/20 local hiring: 80% of personnel with 2 years' residency in Rio Negro

It fully replaces the text of local-labor law J 2904. The new art. 5 sets three floors: at least 80% of personnel of Argentine nationality (by birth or naturalization, or foreigners with permanent residency and DNI); at least 80% with legal and actual domicile in Rio Negro and 2 years of continuous residency (with an exception for Rio Negro students returning with a tertiary or university degree); and at least 20% women and gender-diverse people. Non-compliance brings progressive fines on the contract amount, suspension from state supplier registries, termination of the contract or disqualification from contracting, and the penalties of law K 5255. verif · Aug 21, 2025 ↗

Since its publication in the Official Gazette (09-01-2025, art. 2) verif. Already enforced on the ground: official inspection at Chelforo (10-30-2025) on the VMOS build: 101 workers, 82 from Rio Negro (81.2%), over-complying with the rule. verif · Oct 30, 2025 ↗

Public or private works and projects declared of provincial public interest, those receiving tax benefits, subsidies, guarantees, concessions or authorizations from the provincial state, those under the RIGI (art. 1) and all mining and hydrocarbon activity in the province (art. 3). The authority may waive the two-year residency requirement for workers on strategic hydrocarbon, mining, energy or industrial projects of the Neuquén Basin (art. 2), and authorize outside staff if local labor is lacking, with a commitment to train the missing profiles (art. 6) verif. In practice it reaches the entire corridor build (VMOS, San Matías pipeline, LNG): for the Río Negro worker it is a labor-market reserve and for the contractor an operating constraint that forces local training before bringing people from outside thesis. verif · 2025-2026 ↗