Curious about something, what is Minimum Wage where you live?
By killailla
@killailla (1301)
Canada
December 17, 2006 10:34pm CST
I am quite shocked as min wage here is apparantly $8/hour (canada) but they can pay $6.00 for people who have not had 500 hours work experience in their lives until they have reached 500 hours, this is so ridiculous, the government does not seem to care whether people can live or not. Prices of homes, food clothing etc keeps going up, why does the minimum wage stay so low? I know I make a bit more the min wage so I am lucky, but i know I have trouble getting by, I cant figure out how people can live on less then what I make, but they do!
8 people like this
95 responses
@AKRao24 (27424)
• India
18 Dec 06
I am from India. Here in India we get labour at very chaeper rate. Here minimum wage act differs from state to state and over all if we see unskilled labour get about $50.00 per month for working 8 hours a day. That may sound horrible, but that is the fact and people are working on this wages and living their lifes.
It is because of this, normally we see wife, husband and even minor kids are involved with the work and the kids are paid less than the half of the adullt labour, barely to meet both the ends.
Qualified and educated lots are having different scales and they are better palced ones. Here we don't have much job opportunities in government sector as we already have reached apoint of saturation.
People who work in aprivate sector can make good money, but the industries want good results from the employee in return.In the Country like ours we have different labour rules and many perks and benifits for them. It is not easy to fire a employee from an organisation in India, like it is very commnly done in western countries. There the workers are kept on contarct basis and in India we seldom see such an arrangement!Well, in nut shell we are paid much less as our minimum wages are too less like in many countries of Asia.
@thediesel (287)
• Philippines
18 Dec 06
Here in the Philippines, it is about 43.75 pesos/hour or about USD0.90/hour. Minimum wage here is so low, thats just about 7000pesos/month or USD142/month. Plus there's the salary deductions(taxes, SSS, health insurance etc.). So overall, minimum wage workers here basically gets 5500-6000pesos/month or like USD122/month. Thats very low, no wonder there are many poor people here in our country.
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@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
omg I can understand why so many people from phillipines immagrate to canada, we have a large phillipino community, those wages are outrages!!!!
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@mygreyparrot (1461)
• United States
18 Dec 06
Where I live the minimum wage is a sad $2.65. Seriously. This is in the United States. Is that not just ridiculous? Now I've never heard of anyone actually being paid that ammount, but still. I was shocked to see that rate! I know I got paid $5.15 an hour when I started a job 10 yrs ago.
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@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
18 Dec 06
I didn't think that was possible any more since the Federal mandated minimum wage for the US is $5.15 an hour. They have to pay that, unless you get tips from your job.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
OMG $2.56! That is an outrage! That is only like $3 canadian! I cant believe that
@AshleyArrrgh (10)
• United States
18 Dec 06
You must live in Kansas, although you could live somewhere else that has no minimum wage laws. I did a research paper on minimum wage throughout the US and I was completely shocked when I saw how low that is. I mean, I live in Florida where it is 5.15 and I thought that was bad. But 2.65, thats just crazy.
1 person likes this
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@1fatpig (785)
• Australia
18 Dec 06
I dont know our minimum wage but to gauge it a little
most young people start around $12.50 an hour
checkout chick = $18.00 an hour
handyman = $20.00 per hour
storeman = $40.00 per hour
plumber = $70.00 - $90.00 per hour
------------------------------------
cost of a car $25.000
house from country $25.000
city $250.000 - $1.000.000
milk = $3.00 for 2 litres
bread $1.30 a loaf
fuel $1.20 a litre
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@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
18 Dec 06
Yeah, those look like great wages compared to the cost of stuff. Around here a person working chechout would make about $6 an hour and the cost of a 1 room apartment is $400 a month. Milk is between $2.50-$3.50 a gallon. Gas is $2.33 a gallon here. We get bread for $1.10 at Wal-mart but name brand is more expensive (like $2-3 a loaf). That is just in my little area. It differs so much from area to area.
In Chicago the pay is the same but the cost of everything is doubled it seems, lol. A 1 bedroom apartment near where my dad lives would be between $500-$700 (for just 1 bedroom) and gas is $2.70 something. You cannot live on min. wage there.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
lol Can you be my sponsor lol I have family in Aus and now I understand completely why they are not too keen on coming back here lol
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@Shinji (48)
• Brazil
18 Dec 06
Here, in Brazil, things are worse. The minimum wage is R$375,00/month, which is about US$120,00/month, for a fulltime work! Now imagine that you have only US$120,00 for a whole month to survive. You can't barely eat!
And, as it is happening there, the prices keeps going up!
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
omg! Okay so what is the average price of renting a decent home there? That is so horrible!
@thisisrightnow (537)
• United States
18 Dec 06
Do you mean $120 or $120,000. Cause if that's $120,000 then that's like 5 times as much money that I make in a year.
@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
18 Dec 06
I believe minimum wage in this state is $6.50. It's supposed to be increasing to $7 in about a year.
@GardenGerty (159754)
• United States
18 Dec 06
Well, US minimum wage is $5.15, some states may choose to pay higher, and some cities do, too. I know that the conversion rate to Canada would make that a little more than $7.50--am I correct? Waitress and busboy jobs can pay less, but I am not sure what, because the assumption is that you will make tips. My daughter says Minnesota is $6.25 per hour. Average rent where I live, in Kansas is about $550 for a 2 bedroom. My daughter and her husband pay $785 per month in an income based apartment. It is hard all over for people to make a go of it. That accounts for so many adult children moving in with their parents. There is a move in Congress to raise the minimum. That will not effect me or my husband. I am wishing all of my myLot friends a Merry Christmas.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
yes i believe that would be about 7.50 a hour, and i pay $700 fora dingy 2 bdrm bsmt, btu i am realizing quickly we have it alot better then some places.
Merry Christmas!
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
I didn't realize the min wage was at $8.00 and hour in Canada, I thought it was $7.25, or at least it is here in Newbrunswick...I don't think we have that 500 hour work thing either, we get paid the min wage no matter how much experience you have, however, there is a 3 month probation time, and a 6 month probation time for benefits, and a 1 year probation for holiday pay. I work for much more thn min wage and it takes myself and my wife to make ends meet at times, so as far as someone trying to get by with a family on min wage, it is near impossible...I consider it a working welfare check.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
lolol I like your last line, well 8 is the min in BC, i thought it was canada wide but am realizing that even our own government cant deicide which side is up lol
@bamby1983 (286)
• India
18 Dec 06
Wow! I'd kill for $6 an hour. In India, minimum wage is in the vicinity of $0.20 to $0.25 per hour. And people get paid less as well. If you're making $1 per hour in India, you're considered well off. $2 per hour is considered excellent. No wonder outsourcing is taking it's toll on the west. People here are willing to work 18 hours a day 7 days a week for $50 per month! That's right.. PER MONTH!!!!
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
i have heard that and I am so sorry that they make people in India and Pakistan do that, it's pathetic!
@Tanika (632)
• Australia
18 Dec 06
hello,
here in australia the minimum wage varies depending upon the industry you work in. It starts from $484 per week. The cost of living here is rising dramatically also with your average one bedroom rental property here being at least $150 per week. not to mention the cost of food and bills being exorbitant. then dont even try to have kids on that type of salary. it is ridiculous .
Not to mention the workplace reform recently put into play in our country that requires that any new employee be required to sign a work place agreement (AWA) to gain employment.
These AWA's allow for things such as getting rid of work rights like weekend, shift and public holiday rates; overtime; redundancy pay and allowances and abolishing most clauses of the unfair dismisal act.
Sorry to waffle on about things not directly relating to your discussion but i feel strongly on this subject.
Share the wealth i say, instead of continuing to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Tanika.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
lol no problem, I totally agree, i am not rich by all means here however there are people everywhere in the world less fortunate so I try to help as much as I can, even though sometimes it might not be much but, a little bit of help goes a long way for them
@bamby1983 (286)
• India
18 Dec 06
$4,500? Average people at the start of their careers don't make that in 4 years in India
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
18 Dec 06
In PA, it's going up to $6.25 an hour in January. Right now it's around $5.50, I believe. How can anyone be expected to make a living on that????
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
even $6.25 how do they think people can provide for their families on that?
@SuziBerardini (314)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
It depends on where you are in Canada. Im in Ottawa on minimum wage here is $9. I know they are going to raise it here becuase the standard of living is so high. In ottawa, if you make $40,000 a year and under you are concidered poor. BUt you still make too much to qualify for social assistance if you need it. its rediculas how they expect us to live on sich little money then refuse to help us if we need it.
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
lol ya the same thing here, you are on poverty line yet still make to much to be assisted, ridiculous!
@juliocstryfe (2019)
• Brazil
18 Dec 06
Here in Brazil its R$350, about 100-something dollars.
Have a nice day
@Ravenladyj (22902)
• United States
18 Dec 06
I have no idea what minimum wage is here in New York and the last time i can recall min wage in Ontario it was $4.75 LOL which was a long time ago..now I think its $7 or 8 in Ontario...sadly, the gov DOESNT care..its crappy but very true both in the U.S and Canada..In Ontario they make it very difficult for low income and poverty level ppl and its been that way for some yrs now...I understand the need for change with things like Welfare and Mothers Allowance (which no longer exists) because ppl were really abusign the system but I think they went too far, changed too much too quick and now ppl are in a major bind...In both countries, I find, the gov treats the low income and poverty level ppl like they are insignificant and a burden which really sends out a horrible message to the ppl. One of the main reasons I hate politics so much is becuase they are full of it....they dont care about all the people they care about the people with money
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
unfortunatly I do agree with you, the government does not care about the well being of the people it seems!
@ErMeyo (29)
• Italy
18 Dec 06
Also in Italy the life is much beloved here and the medium wage, if it goes well, is of 1200 €, then there are jobs that they make to earn 300/400 € for month or 3000 € or more for month. It depends very on that what you want from the life, than what you have studied, what you know to make above all and as you know yourself to adapt. I task that the wages are bases to you also on fact of how much six sacrificed to you before going to work. Hour the school and of obligation, is true that they are placed where lacks ache l water but task that this would be an other speech still ..... that you say? ….
@killailla (1301)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
that is such crap, does the government help people there at all?
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