Wages Around the Globe

[Levi]

After looking at some job postings here on Arbtalk I am wondering, how are the wages for tree workers in different parts of the world? The posts I see for UK tree workers seem to be offering pretty low wages, granted I have no idea how this translates to me. Here in the US there is quite a bit of variance state to state and region to region. In my specific area starting wages are around 12-15 USD per hour. A top climber maxes out around 30 USD per hour while a contract climber can pull around 300-500 USD per day. While the average one bedroom apartment cost about $1000 per month.

[Ty Korrigan]

France.

Minimum wage is 9.67 p/h gross

Our 2 climbers are salaried and 2 years experience each.

They are good but cannot run a job well without a team leader and tend to run over without one losing all sense of time and urgency plus they let the clients lead them by the nose into terrible 'whilst your here' situations.

They are currently on 12 p/h gross or 1800-ish per month

Company pays almost half that again to the state on top plus payroll charges and accountancy fees.

After 5 years experience they could be on 2-2400 gross.

Or they could be out on their ear in the next few weeks...

Other benefits such as company savings scheme in which their contribution is matched but only pays out after 3-5 years service and free top up health care.

 

Self employed sub contracting.

Between 180-240 depending on skill set and productivity with up to 300 if they are vat reg and registered in France.

 

Self employed and working for your own jobs, 300-400euros+

 

Groundworkers self employed, 120-180

 

An 70m2 appartment here in West of France is around 300-600euros per month and there is a glut of cheap housing to be had.

You may also get a generous housing benefit after 2 years work history.

 

 

Ty

[jose]

i find that there is a limit on how much we can charge in my area. As soon as you go over it the work stops coming in.

If thats the case then it keeps the wages lower as running costs are not cheap.

 

it does annoy me as id love to be able to pay my guys a better wage. But im not going to pay them all the profit, when i got the expenses to pay ( new truck chippers etc). thats just stupid.

 

cant see a way around it tbh. Fair play if you can get $500 a day and cover a months rent in 2 days!

explains why so many rent in the states.

[Levi]

Interesting.

 

Jose, where are you located?

 

Ty, I see that you are in France, I have always heard that there was universal healthcare in France. What do you mean by top up healthcare? Is that an expense that the business covers? Also, what is the housing benefit? The company subsidizes employee housing?

 

I should have mentioned, as an employee in Colorado my payroll was taxed at around 15% for state and federal taxes combined, no healthcare. As a self employed contract climber I was taxed around 25% of my income before write offs which got me down to around 10%.

[Ty Korrigan]

Self employed here pay around 50% of profit to the state in social charges which you cannot reduce plus income tax which you can offset against plus a local business tax based on turnover and area.

Healthcare is universal but hospitals and doctors often charge more than the state will cover so you need additional private health insurance.

I had a dermatologist 100% covered but not the medication.

Childbirth covered 100% but the room was 10euros more than the state would fund.

Nothing much but an example.

Ty

[Marula]

Eastern Europe is very low wage, its more the basic experience in massive populars with great scenery, gorgeous woman and cheap beer than anything else.

Australia and new Zealand are between 25 to 35 Dollars an hour, this seems good on the surface but the cost of living in oz is very expensive and even more so in New Zealand. However the lifestyle more than covers getting ragged around 1 million foot dead eucs on hillsides 👍🏼😬.

The uk is expensive, food is cheap but housing, fuel, vehicle taxes and insurances are all expensive in relation to what you make. Wages can be good as an independent but it depends on how populated the area is with "paving specialists", I got sick of being shown a badly printed flyer with the comments, "why are you charging me £1200 for that tree when these professionals only want £200? They have ladders and everything!"

 

 

I've always been interested to know how they pay in Canada and the US, I'd love to have a bash out there.

[matelot]

Not tree related, but in 1998 I went to India for a holiday. I hired a taxi with driver and translator for a morning. The cost was £5 (about $6 at today's exchange rates).

 

I also went to the Taj Mahal. It cost 23 pence (30 cents) to get in.

[jose]

Im in Berkshire, south east england. It is an expensive part of the country.

 

I must say that there are a lot of the travelling community in my area, though technically the are settled as they dont actually travel. They come out doing tree work mainly in the summer, seem to disappear in the winter months. Not actually sure where they go.

 

easy to work for less when you dont buy the kit in the first place. ( and i know ive suffered at there exact hands). Throw in they dont pay tax and its easy to see why they all roll around in brand new vehicles. No such thing as a poor one round here.

 

Throw in the next generation of tree surgeons that are coming through that have had enough of working for someone else that come in sooo keen on the price and it does seem to limit the top price people pay.

 

I definitely find big trees dont pay at all. can make as much doing small trees without breaking a sweat as i do with with 1 big tree with all the headaches it brings ( cranes road closures timber etc).

 

very basic maths i pay around £15 per hr ( but i have 2 employees) but they get all the benefits ( holiday sick pension contributions etc). We do a standard 8 hr day but can knock off once the job is done. not into forcing more work on top.

 

I really dont think they know how much it costs just to keep things insured and running tbh. Sometimes i envy there lack of responsibility!

 

Though got to say France sounds terrible!

[eggsarascal]

Im in Berkshire, south east england. It is an expensive part of the country.

 

I must say that there are a lot of the travelling community in my area, though technically the are settled as they dont actually travel. They come out doing tree work mainly in the summer, seem to disappear in the winter months. Not actually sure where they go.

 

easy to work for less when you dont buy the kit in the first place. ( and i know ive suffered at there exact hands). Throw in they dont pay tax and its easy to see why they all roll around in brand new vehicles. No such thing as a poor one round here.

 

Throw in the next generation of tree surgeons that are coming through that have had enough of working for someone else that come in sooo keen on the price and it does seem to limit the top price people pay.

 

I definitely find big trees dont pay at all. can make as much doing small trees without breaking a sweat as i do with with 1 big tree with all the headaches it brings ( cranes road closures timber etc).

 

very basic maths i pay around £15 per hr ( but i have 2 employees) but they get all the benefits ( holiday sick pension contributions etc). We do a standard 8 hr day but can knock off once the job is done. not into forcing more work on top.

 

I really dont think they know how much it costs just to keep things insured and running tbh. Sometimes i envy there lack of responsibility!

 

Though got to say France sounds terrible!

 

That sounds like a decent deal for lads on the books.

 

If you knock off early do they still get paid 8 hours, or just the hours they have worked?

[jose]

Unless I'm catching up on some work that over ran I do job and knock. If it's early they still get paid. I could make them

Do extra work but I know from my days of working for someone it's nice to see an end of the day come sooner if u knuckle down.

I know some will say u should be working every hr but we don't stop for breaks, MAC we take is 10 minutes throw a quick a sandwich down and off again. If I put more work on they would slow right down and take longer breaks, which they are entitled to but personally I find it drags the day out and u end up getting cold.

 

I'm a believer of treating people fair( hopefully my guys would agree).