How much higher are wages in the UK compared to the US?

[miri]

How much more do people in the UK make compared to the US? Just curious since it is one of the most expensive places to visit.

 

[LostUte]

GDP (nominal) per capita is about the same. On the other hand, GDP (PPP) per capita is about 30% higher in the United States.

A very simplistic explanation of this means that people in the UK and US make about the same amount nominally. However, it is much less expensive in the United States, so the money goes further. As a result, the average person in the UK has less purchasing power than the average person in the US.

 

[BoomerD]

$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

 

[tfinch2]

I was surprised at the advertisement for new employee wage at In-N-Out the other day, $10.50/hr.

 

[BoomerD]

In-n-Out is possibly the best paying fast food restaurant there is.

 

[ElFenix]

you're referring to minimum wage as if anyone other than high school kids made it

 

[BoomerD]

Are you some kind of elitist? LOTS of people besides high school kids work for minimum wage.

 

[SZLiao214]

A few years back i worked as a bag boy for a grocery store. I think 5.15 or 5.25 was minimal wage in Texas back then.

 

[ICRS]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

Don't forget the City (S.F) has a minimum wage of over 9 dollars an hour.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

Really? I'll have to remember not to tip anyone when I visit.

 

[ICRS]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo

Originally posted by: BoomerD
$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

Really? I'll have to remember not to tip anyone when I visit.

Why? They work hard for their pay and deserve a tip?

O well to each their own.

 

[Auryg]

Originally posted by: ICRS

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo

Originally posted by: BoomerD
$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

Really? I'll have to remember not to tip anyone when I visit.

Why? They work hard for their pay and deserve a tip?

O well to each their own.

Waitresses make great money..they would even without a salary at all. They don't need, or deserve, a high one, unless we get to tip less.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

$5.85? Wow, that's pretty bad. Minimum wage in NZ is $12.00 and will probably rise soon. $5.85 is pretty shitty for a very wealthy country Probably there are less people (per capita) on minimum wage in USA though.

 

[QTPie]

To OP, it's $8/hr as of Jan 2008 in California. I don't know where you get that $5.85 figure from.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Originally posted by: QTPie
To OP, it's $8/hr as of Jan 2008 in California. I don't know where you get that $5.85 figure from.

He might be thinking the Federal minimum wage, which is still quite low... probably around $6.00/hr or so. Most states worth a damn pay well above that though.

 

[0roo0roo]

you get paid more.
then you pay their "Value Added Tax" of 17% and its gone.

 

[Cellulose]

The average London inner city wage is $100k+

 

[Snapster]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
you get paid more.
then you pay their "Value Added Tax" of 17% and its gone.

Tax is tax now matter how you dress it

And bingo

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
$5.85? Wow, that's pretty bad. Minimum wage in NZ is $12.00 and will probably rise soon. $5.85 is pretty shitty for a very wealthy country Probably there are less people (per capita) on minimum wage in USA though.

You can't compare them directly though. As someone already pointed out, living costs are higher in a lot of other places. Also, many European countries pay considerably more taxes than U.S. people do for various reasons. Another thing to consider is that the U.S. is a pretty open country when it comes to trade.

In economics things like minimum wages, price ceilings, and other means of the government trying to regulate fiscal transactions are generally bad things and tend to cause issues that make markets inefficient. For instance, higher minimum wages tend to bring higher unemployment rates. Of course, the real world is a much more complicated thing.

By and large, at least in the U.S., the minimum wage is more of a political tool than it is an economic one, as I would guess the majority of the working populace makes more than that unless they're consistently switching jobs, just entering the job force, or are in a transitional period (such as working while in school). Hmm, I don't know if I really would say the majority of the labor force or not, as part of the reason that it is an effective political tool is that there is a large number of lower wage workers.

 

[rikadik]

As an ATOTer living in the UK I can confirm that although our minimum wage of £5.52 / $10.89 seems good the cost of living is getting higher and higher.

For example, I filled my car up for £1.19 a litre the other day - that's almost $9 per US gallon.

 

[Cellulose]

Originally posted by: rikadik
As an ATOTer living in the UK I can confirm that although our minimum wage of £5.52 / $10.89 seems good the cost of living is getting higher and higher.

For example, I filled my car up for £1.19 a litre the other day - that's almost $9 per US gallon.

I think £1.19 is closer to $11 per gallon.

 

[HannibalX]

In the US the minimum wage was never designed to be a living wage. These jobs are designed for young people in school, retired folks to supplement their retirement savings and stay at home moms or dads to supplement the main house hold earner. Nothing more.

If someone were to try and live off of a minimum wage job they would be well below the poverty line ($20k/year/household). Maybe it?s different in the UK, I don?t know. In the US it is expected that an adult will seek out some type of training after high school whether it?s college (professional degree in art or science, medical or law), technical school, an apprenticeship (plumber, electrical, machine shop, baker, cook, etc) or corporate job training (sales, marketing, management, etc) and will then go on to make a living wage in the field of their training.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Are you some kind of elitist? LOTS of people besides high school kids work for minimum wage.

This is AT, where everyone makes 6 figures, has a few expensive vehicles, et al. Get with the program!

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
In the US the minimum wage was never designed to be a living wage. These jobs are designed for young people in school, retired folks to supplement their retirement savings and stay at home moms or dads to supplement the main house hold earner. Nothing more.

If someone were to try and live off of a minimum wage job they would be well below the poverty line ($20k/year/household). Maybe it?s different in the UK, I don?t know. In the US it is expected that an adult will seek out some type of training after high school whether it?s college (professional degree in art or science, medical or law), technical school, an apprenticeship (plumber, electrical, machine shop, baker, cook, etc) or corporate job training (sales, marketing, management, etc) and will then go on to make a living wage in the field of their training.

Exactly. The intent of minimum wage was not to be a livable wage.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
In the US the minimum wage was never designed to be a living wage. These jobs are designed for young people in school, retired folks to supplement their retirement savings and stay at home moms or dads to supplement the main house hold earner. Nothing more.

If someone were to try and live off of a minimum wage job they would be well below the poverty line ($20k/year/household). Maybe it?s different in the UK, I don?t know. In the US it is expected that an adult will seek out some type of training after high school whether it?s college (professional degree in art or science, medical or law), technical school, an apprenticeship (plumber, electrical, machine shop, baker, cook, etc) or corporate job training (sales, marketing, management, etc) and will then go on to make a living wage in the field of their training.

Exactly. The intent of minimum wage was not to be a livable wage.

That's certainly not the case here.