This article spells out typical wage differentials:
Next, we used my firm's proprietary model to estimate CM production costs in the countries of interest. While the model considers many variables, wages usually account for most of the cost difference in manufacturing. Typical wages for hand labor, for instance, range from a low of 77 cents per hour in China to $1.16 in Malaysia, $1.80 in Mexico and $13.52 in the United States (see chart #1). Wage differences are some-what less pronounced for higher-skilled positions. Process engineers, for instance, earn about $16,000 yearly in China, $21,000 in Malaysia, $32,000 in Mexico, and $54,000 in the United States.
Chart #1
COMPARATIVE WAGES |
|||||
POSITION |
USA (Typical) |
MEXICO |
SINGAPORE |
MALAYSIA |
CHINA |
$/hr. Handwork Labor |
$13.52 |
$1.81 |
$3.45 |
$1.16 |
$.77 |
Machine Operator |
$17.15 |
$2.96 |
$4.42 |
$1.46 |
$.97 |
$/yr. Process Engineer |
$53,560 |
$32,136 |
$29,458 |
$21,424 |
$16,068 |
Buyer |
$47,214 |
$28,329 |
$25,968 |
$18,886 |
$14,164 |
Operations Manager |
$95,983 |
$57,590 |
$55,410 |
$38,393 |
$28,795 |
*Typical wages paid by contract manufacturers, OEM rates are somewhat higher. |
Wage differences usually account for most of the manufacturing product-cost differences among countries.
Wow I am sure that a fair comparison. /sarc
You take an older and costlier city in Malaysia and compare it with a sub provincial city somewhere in Guangdong to make your point.