Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Look, I'm not a big fan of unions. But if we're going to compare public sector salaries in Alberta to those in other provinces, we should do so in the context of a comparison between private sector salaries in Alberta compared to those in other provinces.
|
Why isn't comparing an RN in the private sector in Alberta vs the public sector in Alberta valid?
And I fully understand we need to pay public sector workers more than elsewhere in Alberta as long as the cost of living exceeds the rest of the country.
I do wish we paid much higher tax in the $100,000+ range. Or any other good way someone can come up with to keep spending power from going off the charts and inflating everything here.
I guess that is another important question. Why does the oil industry pay so much? Because the work sucks, so you have to pay a ton to attract talent? Because the job is that hard that you need the smartest people in the world to migrate to the work?
Or is it because the margins for that business are so good, combined with a boom/bust nature, they end up competing for labour in a stretched market constantly.
Are there any mechanisms we can put in place to even the keel of our provincial industry a bit?
It seems like it would trickle down to more reasonable labour rates for all industries, and the public sector.
This would also incentivize economic diversification. You'd have to be crazy to try start a non-energy industry company in Calgary that wants to sell internationally, as you are paying more for everything off the bat, but making the same as if you were located elsewhere.