"Sort of like NOLA where they are paying illegals $12 an hour to do "jobs American's won't do." /sarc
Average pay around here is about $9.50 an hour. People trip all over each other to get a job that pays $12.00/hour, even with no benefits.
If a contractor can pay someone $12 an hour and NOT have to pay FICA, unemployment insurance, workers comp, etc. then he's paying a LOT less than he would have to pay for an "off the books" illegal.
The $12 figure came from an article here yesterday on the changes illegals have brought to NOLA; it was a pretty lengthy article.