~..in 1999 wages were just 40-50....now 400 to 500.~
In fact Chinese blue collars are paid some $700-900 monthly these days. Consider a huge difference in living costs comparing it to the West.
As for Russia take McDonald’s burger flipper as an entry level job example and it is up to 153 rubles per hour for Moscow or St.Pete and 130 rubles for any other city with a population over 1 million people. At least that were rates for late 2013. A ruble was 32 to 1 dollar at the time. Go figure. Note, in Russia employers are considered a tax and social security agents for their workforce so the wages above are ‘clean’ - after taxes, health insurance and pension payments.
Every nation, and as much community determines much to do with wages, especially those of entry level. Costs of living come into view as well as nations differ in the makeup of their nations.
But those In Russia , and now Crimea, have a better life and will be better than which Ukraine offers now or in the past. Ukraine has already lowered social services and cut many government workers....I believe also pensions, if not now soon.
The US has lost much of it’s blue color jobs as we know. What do we produce? So much are services today, from Gov. to Heathcare and such.
It’s striking the many things Obama and others state against Putin when they themselves do likewise. There is so much propaganda out there today that one can barely know the truth about anything anyone states.
However it’s clear from most of the Russian people they are very pleased with Putin....he’s done wonders for their national pride....something we could use huge doses of anymore.