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Employee benefits
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Disclosure of detailed information about provision for employee benefits [Abstract]  
Disclosure of employee benefits [text block]
Note 17
 
17.1
 
Classes of benefits and expenses by employee
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
  
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Current
Profit sharing and bonuses     1,383       7,770  
Performance bon
u
s and operational targets		     25,392       1,326  
Total
 
 
26,775
 
 
 
9,096
 
Non-current
Profit sharing and bonuses     -       -  
Severance indemnity payments     27,099       32,199  
Total
 
 
27,099
 
 
 
32,199
 
 
17.2
 
This policy is applied to all benefits received for services provided by the Company's employees. This is divided as follows:
 
  a) Short-term benefits for active employees are represented by salaries, social welfare benefits, paid time off, sickness and other types of leave, profit sharing and incentives and non-monetary benefits; e.g., healthcare service, housing, subsidized or free goods or services. These will be paid in a term which does not exceed twelve months. The Company maintains incentive programs for its employees, which are calculated based on the net result at the close of each period by applying a factor obtained from an evaluation based on their personal performance, the Company’s performance and other short-term and long-term indicators.
 
  b) Staff severance indemnities are agreed and payable based on the final salary, calculated in accordance with each year of service to the Company, with certain maximum limits in respect of either the number of years or in monetary terms. In general, this benefit is payable when the employee or worker ceases to provide his/her services to the Company and there are a number of different circumstances through which a person can be eligible for it, as indicated in the respective agreements; e.g. retirement, dismissal, voluntary retirement, incapacity or disability, death, etc. See Note 17.3.
 
  c) Obligations after employee retirement, described in Note 17.4.
 
  d) Retention bonuses for a group of Company executives, described in Note 17.6.
 
 
17.3
 
The actuarial assessment method has been used to calculate the Company’s obligations with respect to staff severance indemnities, which relate to defined benefit plans consisting of days of remuneration per year served at the time of retirement under conditions agreed in the respective agreements established between the Company and its employees.
 
Under this benefit plan, the Company retains the obligation to pay staff severance indemnities related to retirement, without establishing a separate fund with specific assets, which is referred to as
not funded
.
 
Benefit payment conditions
 
The staff severance indemnity benefit relates to remuneration days for years worked for the Company without a limit being imposed in regard of amount of salary or years of service. It applies when employees cease to work for the Company because they are made redundant or in the event of their death. This benefit is applicable up to a maximum age of 65 for men and 60 for women, which are the usual retirement ages according to the Chilean pensions system as established in Decree Law 3,500 of 1980.
 
Methodology
 
The determination of the defined benefit obligation is made under the requirements of IAS 19 “Employee benefits”.
 
17.4
 
Our subsidiary SQM NA, together with its employees established a pension plan until 2002 called the “SQM North America Retirement Income Plan”. This obligation is calculated measuring the expected future forecast staff severance indemnity obligation using a net salary gradual rate of restatements for inflation, mortality and turnover assumptions, discounting the resulting amounts at present value using the interest rate defined by the authorities.
 
Since 2003, SQM NA offers benefits related to pension plans based on the 401-K system to its employees, which do not generate obligations for the Company.
 
Reconciliation
Changes in the benefit obligation
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
    
As of
December 31,
2019
  
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Opening balance     9,864       9,586       8,657  
cost of service     -       -       -  
Interest cost     240       280       336  
Actuarial loss     (135 )     506       984  
Benefits paid     (419 )     (508 )     (391 )
Total
 benefit obligation (A)
 
 
9,550
 
 
 
9,864
 
 
 
9,586
 
  
Reconciliation
Changes in plan assets
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
    
As of
December 31,
2019
  
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Fair value of plan assets at the start of the year     12,888       8,754       8,404  
Actual gains on plan assets     1,028       4,642       741  
Benefits paid     (419 )     (508 )     (391 )
Fair value of plan assets as of the year-end
 (B)
 
 
13,497
 
 
 
12,888
 
 
 
8,754
 
Net value (A – B)
    3,947       3,025       (832 )
Items not yet recognized as components of net periodic pension costs:
                        
Net actuarial loss at the beginning of the year     192       (3,634 )     (3,022 )
Amortization during the year     -       326       242  
Estimated net gain for the year     847       3,500       (854 )
Movement to recognize minimum pension obligations
 
 
1,039
 
 
 
192
 
 
 
(3,634
)
 
Cost of service or benefits received during the year
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
    
As of
December 31,
2019
  
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Cost of service or benefits received during the year     -       -       -  
Interest cost of benefit obligation     240       280       336  
Actual gains on plan assets     1,028       4,642       741  
Amortization of prior year losses     -       326       242  
Net gains during the year     847       3,500       (854 )
Net periodic pension costs     (76 )     (31 )     (33 )
17.5
 
As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, severance indemnities calculated at the actuarial value are as follows:
 
Staff severance indemnities
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
    
As of
December 31,
2019
  
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Opening balance     (32,199 )     (27,814 )     (28,233 )
Current cost of service     (4,978 )     (3,804 )     (2,880 )
Interest cost     (1,303 )     (1,486 )     (1,661 )
Actuarial gain loss     3,999       (2,826 )     (2,514 )
Exchange rate difference     4,971       (1,513 )     2,475  
Benefits paid during the year     2,411       5,244       4,999  
Total
 
 
(27,099
)
 
 
(32,199
)
 
 
(27,814
)
 
(a)
Actuarial assumptions
 
The liability recorded for staff severance indemnity is valued at the actuarial value method, using the following actuarial assumptions:
 
Actuarial assumptions
  
As of
December 31,
2021
    
As of
December 31,
2020
    
As of
December 31,
2019
  
 
Annual/Years
 
Mortality rate    
RV - 2014
      
RV - 2014
      
RV - 2014
          
Actual annual interest rate     5.67 %     3.65 %     3.68 %        
Voluntary retirement rate:
                                
Men     6.49 %     6.49 %     6.49 %    
Annual
  
Women     6.49 %     6.49 %     6.49 %    
Annual
  
Salary increase     3.00 %     3.00 %     3.00 %    
Annual
  
Retirement age:
                                
Men     65       65       65      
Years
  
Women     60       60       60      
Years
  
 
(b)
Sensitivity analysis of assumptions
 
As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, the Company has conducted a sensitivity analysis of the main assumptions of the actuarial calculation, determining the following:
 
Sensitivity analysis as of December 31, 2021
 
Effect + 100 basis
points
 
 
Effect - 100 basis
points
 
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Discount rate     (1,614 )     1,817  
Employee turnover rate     (212 )     237  
 
Sensitivity analysis as of December 31, 2020
 
Effect + 100 basis
points
 
 
Effect - 100 basis
points
 
 
 
ThUS$
 
 
ThUS$
 
Discount rate     (1,985 )     2,234  
Employee turnover rate     (261 )     291  
 
Sensitivity relates to an increase/decrease of 100 basis points.
17.6
 
The Company currently has a compensation plan with the purpose of motivating the Company’s executives and encouraging them to remain with the Company, by granting payments based on the change in the price of SQM’s shares. There is a partial payment of the share benefit program in the event of termination of the contract for causes other than the resignation and application of Article 160 of the Labor Code.
 
(a)
Plan characteristics
 
This compensation plan is related to the Company’s performance through the SQM Series B share price (Santiago Stock Exchange).
 
(b)
Plan participants
 
The compensation plan considers 29 Company executives, who are entitled to this benefit, provided that they stay with the Company until a given date, recognizing on an accrual basis: a) a 2021 bonus, which will be made effective by paying 146,708 shares distributed between the four quarters of 2021, and b) a 2022 bonus for 42,032 shares, which will be made effective the first quarter of 2023.
 
Compensation
 
The compensation payable to each executive is calculated by multiplying:
 
i) the average price of the series B shares on the Santiago Stock Exchange during the fourth quarter of 2020, in its US dollar equivalent (with a value of US$ 41.93 per share).
 
ii) the average price of SQM’s series B shares during the final quarter of 2022, subject to a limit of US$ 54 per share.
 
i
ii
)		 By a number equal to the quantity of shares that have been individually assigned to each executive included in the plan.
 
This compensation plan was approved by the Company’s Board of Directors and its application started on September 30, 2020.
 
The plan that was in place on December 31, 2020 considered 177,905 and 188,740 shares, for 2021. The effects on the income statement are equivalent to an expense of ThUS$ 5,979 and ThUS$ 875 in the income statement for the periods ending December 3
1
, 2021 and 2020.
 
Shares exercised up to December 31, 2021 were 146,708.