Sorry about the delay in answering this one:
>
>
>>But, when it comes down to it, none of the people I talked about >>were
>>the minimum wage folks. Administrative assistants make about >>2x to 3x
>>minimum wage.
>
>Are they so highly paid, or is minimum wage so low in the US? In my
>country, 1.5 x minimum wage is considered high pay for that kind of >work.
The minimum wage is $5.50 per hour. At the company I worked for, everyone
received full benefits. So, an administrative assistant would receive
around $22,000 to $33,000 per hour. A technician, who is required to have a
two-year associates degree at a community college, could make about $40,000
to $60,000 per year in Houston now.
At least in Texas, this is combined with a cost of living that is much lower
than in Europe. Mortagage payments on a 200 sq. meter family house are now
about $500 to $600 per month. (Some fancy patio homes are much more, but
that's another story). A loaf of bread can be obtained for $1.00 ($2.50 for
fancy bread). A family of 4 can go out to eat to a fast food restaurant for
about $15.00, and to a decent restaurant for about $40.00.
The admin. assistant would have to be very careful with her money if she
were a single mom whose husband skipped child support (especially if she
were at the lower end of the pay range). But, married couple who have jobs
as an admin. assistant and a technician would be doing quite decently. The
median income for a US household is about $40,000 per year.
The low-income jobs are, for the most part, not in the high tech. companies.
Restaurants, stores, etc. have much lower paying jobs. The direct service
sector does not pay well at all, partially because they provide a
convenience. If there were fewer workers, it would just be harder to shop;
lines would be longer, etc. These industries are less likely to provide
health care benefits, too.
Dan'm Traeki Ring of Crystallized Knowledge.
Known for calculating, but not known for shutting up
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