On this Shanghai layover that I’m on now, I decided to take a trip down to Hangzhou. It’s only a couple hours away by train and there’s some sights to see… touristy kinds of things I guess. More than anything, it’s just a nice little getaway I guess. I came with a friend from Shanghai who speaks fluent Chinese, so that’s helpful.
One thing that stuck out so far was a conversation on the train. My friend was talking to the rather young looking girl sitting across from me. She seemed very nice. Turns out she was 19 and had been working since she was 16. She works in a clothing factory 6 days a week 14 hours a day for 800 RMB a month, which is just over $100 US. She obviously never finished high school and didn’t speak any English at all.
In Shanghai, with some basic ‘training’ (everyday skills, really), you can get a job or start a business in some service oriented industry (housekeeping, hair, nails, massage, babysitting, etc.) and make 2000-3000 RMB a month depending on the situation. Good jobs for educated people (college degrees) run in the 2000-5000 RMB range. For example, someone with a masters degree and some experience might make 5000 RMB a month, over 6 times what that girl was making in the clothing factory. Keep in mind, though, that’s under $700US per month at the current exchange rate.
Having said all that, prices are pretty cheap in China. We rode the train from Shanghai to Hangzhou for 25 RMB (about 2 hours for just over $3 US). The ~20 minute bus ride from the train station to the west lake area was 1 RMB (less than $.15). While I couldn’t imagine trying to live on 800 RMB a month, I can see how a meager existence might be possible given those kinds of prices.
That all made me wonder, though, whether it’s possible to bring someone into the U.S. from China. I suppose there might be some debate over ‘slave’ labor. It wouldn’t cost me much to provide food for one extra person in our house and we already have an extra bedroom. If all the ‘prep’ expenses (travel, initial supplies like clothing, and government paperwork) were, say, $2000 US, and we paid $300 per month (over 2000 RMB), our total cost for a year of service would be a little over $5000US. That’s very cheap for us.
And how would it be for the worker? Obviously we would treat them far better than they would be treated working in a factory in China. We’d have to teach them English and they could learn so much more in America. They’d need to commit to a year of service ahead of time, but for that kind of price, I think it’d be easy to find someone to do that. Instead of a barely sustainable existence on $100 a month, they would live well and get to send home much of their $300 a month which would be a huge benefit to their family.
I have a hunch, though, it’s impossible to do that kind of thing. Between immigration laws and labor laws, it is likely illegal to complete such a transaction, despite the fact it would be substantially beneficial to everyone involved. I guess we can be glad the government is protecting both us and poor Chinese laborers…
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What I thought was interesting is that with that basic training (everyday skills), you can be making (low-end) as much as someone with an MBA, and at it’s highest, MORE than a highly educated person. Why do you suppose that is? Perhaps those are the ones that are *the best* in their field. The ones who cater to the more wealthy in China. Like “hairdresser to the stars” (Hollywood, CA vs. Grand Rapids, MI, kinda thing). Interesting.
Generally, someone with a Masters will make more than a housekeeper, but the disparity isn’t as much as you’d think. I do think it has something to do with who pays the housekeepers. Though they’re far more common here in China than in the U.S., the people making 3000 RMB a month aren’t generally the ones hiring them. And the ‘city’ wages here are, indeed, far higher than what’s available in the rural inland areas. That’s why a million people a year are moving to Shanghai…
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