minimum wage; monthly, hourly. basic, educate/trained, diploma/higher education

[notrub]

The cost of a SB coffee vs min wage prompts this question about pay etc. in Thailand.  Up here in rural Isaan there are lots of numbers thrown out ranging from say, 300 baht/day for casual labor, to 10,000 baht/month for 7-11 staff.  How much do staff at banks or municipal positions earn?  I have heard that payments (bribes) to higher  management are required to secure better paying jobs with police, banks, government etc..  Are all jobs of the 6 day/week variety?  How much to workers earn on the big highway projects that we see everywhere these days?  How much do the uniformed factory workers seen in their hundreds entering various places of employment earn?   What should a person pay for casual labor only help in the garden (no tools or equipment supplied)?  'Pay me what you think it is worth' comment soon comes apart if less than the imagined amount is offered.  Is there a legal or guideline minimum wage in Thailand?

 

What difference does a diploma make?  Or extra abilities such as multiple languages skills, for example. (I understand a little bit about nursing having just put my niece through the process in Nakhon Ratchasima; but apparently even they must 'pay thousands' for their diploma celebration).

 

There are plenty of big Mercedes and Beamers around even up here so some people are big earners even if the root cleaners on the hwys are not.

 

I tip delivery persons 20 baht (~50 cents euro) which is not much but it is almost 1/2 the hourly wage at 300 baht/day.  Also, if everyone gave 20 baht the delivery persons might wind up with a living wage.  Anybody know what a Kerry person gets per delivery btw?  

 

Retail prices online vs shops are also confusing as they relate to pay.  'Mc denim shorts' are for sale online for <300 baht but in the shop there are seemingly identical items on sale for 1500 baht.  It would take nearly 4 days earnings for a low paid worker to acquire these shorts from the shop. A 50% discount offered on Crocks costing ~2000 baht (not 200 baht online) is not much of a good deal from where I sit.  Who are these young Thais shopping in the big centers and what work do they do to afford the high prices?   

 

I have asked these same questions for a long time and the variety of replies equals the number of times this question has been posed. 

 

Thanks for any comments.🙏🏼