Monthly Wage Research Articles

Procedures for monetary assessment of the labour component of organizations

To obtain objective information about the level of staff remuneration and the possibilities of making effective managerial, including personnel, decisions, analytical procedures for the monetary assessment of the labour component of the organization have been developed. It is proposed to conduct a monetary assessment sequentially by means of implementing four analytical procedures for comparing the average monthly wage of personnel: with the established minimum wage; with a living wage; with the average wage in the region; with an average wage by type of economic activity. The results of a monetary assessment of the labour component of the Voronezh region sugar factories over a six-year period indicate the economic inappropriateness of using the minimum wage and the subsistence minimum as criteria. First, the values of these indicators do not correspond to the level of economic development of the region and do not provide for the satisfaction of the real needs of the working-age population. Secondly, their use to verify compliance with legal requirements is correct only at the individual level, and not throughout the organization. It was found that the level of staff remuneration in the organizations under study is lower than the regional average in 82% of cases. The results of the sectoral assessment indicate the absence of a unified approach to the remuneration of the personnel of organizations for labour, including those included in one holding.

Characteristics of long-term home oxygen therapy users in the municipality of Curitiba, Brazil

Abstract Introduction: Long-term home oxygen therapy (LTOT) can be successfully used in the treatment and prevention of chronic lung diseases, as it improves quality of life, increases survival, and reduces the lenght of hospital stays. However, to the authors’ knowledge there are no descriptive studies with details of the clinical and social profile of patients using LTOT in the state of Paraná. Objective: To analyze the profile of LTOT users in the state of Paraná. Method: All patients registered in the LTOT program of the Curitiba Municipal Department of Health were recruited to the study. Participants answered a questionnaire with questions about their education level, family income, main diagnosis, comorbidities, hours/day of O2 use, and hospitalizations in the previous year. Results: 386 patients (67 ± 20.4 years; 66% females) were interviewed. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the most common disease (58.5%); 60.6% were former smokers and 84.5% did not practice any kind of physical activity; dyspnea was the most common symptom (81.3%) and immobility was the most commonly reported inconvenience (33%); 55.7% used O2 24 hours a day; 53.6% had been hospitalized in the previous year; 33.9% had not completed primary school; 31.4% had an income of one minimum monthly wage or less. Conclusion: LTOT users in Curitiba are primarily elderly women with COPD, with low family income and limited schooling. It is extremely important that health professionals provide educational and preventive measures for this population, to minimize the impact of COPD in the community.

Budget Tax Revenues and Losses from External Labor Migration in Russia

One of the reasons behind declining budget revenues can be external migration. This article aims to describe the methodology for estimation of tax losses and revenues from international labor migration for specific types of taxes. Changes in personal income tax revenues are estimated by using the data on the number of labor emigrants (immigrants) for specific occupations, nominal gross monthly wage of employees in this occupation in Russia, standard child tax deductions and the corresponding personal income tax rate for residents (non-residents). Changes in VAT and excise tax revenues caused by the current trends in labor migration are estimated in accordance with the structure of household consumption. The amount of tax revenues (and losses) is calculated as the product of the sum of VAT and excise tax payments made by one member of a household per year when buying goods, works and services on the territory of Russia, and the number of emigrants (or immigrants). The research uses the data provided by Rosstat, Federal Tax Service of Russia and the Analytical Centre under the Government of the Russian Federation for 2012–2017. The conclusion is made that international migration has a negative impact on the tax revenues of the country’s consolidated state budget. Although, throughout the whole of the given period, the balance of additional revenues from VAT, excise taxes and the personal income tax (PIT) on earned income and budget losses from these taxes remained positive, in absolute terms, this balance decreased significantly. Trends in international labor migration affected the balance of tax losses and revenues. Therefore, the government’s attempts to target international labor migration by reforming the tax legislation seem quite reasonable: the upcoming tax reforms will include the introduction of the concept ‘centre of vital interests’ as the second criterion of residence and equalization of the PIT rate for tax residents and non-residents. The proposed methodology can thus prove to be an effective tool for the Federal Tax Service of Russia to estimate the resulting changes in tax revenues as well as other changes related to labor migration processes.

An Integrated Assessment of Energy Crops Production in Taiwan

For countries with scarce fossil fuel resources and limited cropland, how would energy crops production increase energy security and affect land use and farmer’s income? To address such questions, we develop an integrated assessment model to evaluate land use changes and economic impacts of energy crop policy in Taiwan. The model consists of several submodels linked together interactively, representing different components of the integrated agricultural-energy-environmental-economic system. Five major findings and policy implications can be drawn from our study: 1) There is lack of economic incentives for farmers to produce energy crops using set-aside croplands without government subsidies. The required subsidies for energy crops production will be 50% to 120% higher than the original subsidies for set-aside croplands. 2) There is very little economic incentive for farmers to switch to energy crop production from existing crop production even with government subsidies. Therefore, the impacts on the supply and demand of existing agricultural crops are very minor. 3) Among four soil grades, more than half of the total energy crop output comes from Grade II soil, which is mostly located in the West Tainan County. This implies that energy crop mills and refining plants should be located in the West Tainan County to minimize the transportation costs. 4) The results from general equilibrium modeling show that the Miscellaneous Crops sector will incur the largest increase in output due to energy crop production. In the case of sunflower production, the ratio of total output increase to total government subsidies is about 1.12, which is the only energy crop with benefit-cost ration greater than 1.0. This implies that sunflower is the most economical feasible choice among three energy crops. 5) In the case of sunflower production, the total employment and average monthly wage rates in the Agricultural Sector will increase by 6.7% and 71.7%, respectively. This indicates that sunflower production will have significant positive economic impacts on the employment and income of farmers in Tainan County.

PROVIDING LABOR INCOME AS A SUPPORTING FACTOR OF THE FOOD SECURITY

The lack of comprehensive provision of a sufficient level of economic affordability of food in conditions of social instability and low level of solvency of the population of Ukraine constitutes a threat to the food security of the state. The purpose of the article is to formulate the relationship between the economic affordability of food and the average monthly wage in the country, as well as arrears in its payment. The methodic of work is based on the usage of a correlation-regression analysis of the statistical information that reflects the structure of total household income in Ukraine, which made it possible to calculate the degree of influence of factors of the correlation model on the availability of food for the population. The results of the study indicate a significant stratification of the population in terms of purchasing power. The degree of dependence between the economic availability of food and the average monthly salary in the country, as well as the amount of arrears in its payment, which confirms the need for the government to create a sustainable system of social standards for the population, providing an adequate level of purchasing power, is established.

МОНІТОРИНГ СУЧАСНОГО СТАНУ МІЖРЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ ДИСПРОПОРЦІЙ РОЗВИТКУ

Formulation of the problem. In order to determine the current state of socio-economic development of the regions, the administrative-territorial structure of the country is considered in the regional section. The aim of the research is to analyze the scale of disproportions in the socio-economic development of the country's regions. The object of the research is the current state of development of the regions of Ukraine and the process of identifying regional development disproportions. The hypothesis of the research is the assumption that in recent years in Ukraine and in most of its regions, the developmental imbalance that is characterized by a significant demographic crisis, interregional economic and social disparities deepens. The statement of basic materials. The result of the significant differentiation of the country's socio-economic space is the varying capacity of the regions to ensure local development: there is an intensification of the differentiation of regions according to indicators such as the gross regional product, the income of the population, the average monthly wage, the scope of which varies by regions per capita reaches almost twice the size, and the unemployment rate in regions with a depressed state of development is 3 times more than in developed countries. The originality and practical significance of the research. The analysis of the share of regions in the total volume of the main macroeconomic indicators - net profit of enterprises, volumes of export, import, capital investments, retail turnover of enterprises is made. It has been determined that developed regions such as the metropolitan region, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions occupy 10.0-40.0% of the total, while the backward regions – Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Kirovograd regions occupy almost 3.0% on these indicators. The same trends of spatial development can be traced to the fullness of regional budgets. Conclusions of the research. After the budget regulation, the ranking of regions for budget security varies significantly. If the Kharkiv region took the sixth place before the transfers, then after granting it - the nineteenth, Odesa region moved from the fifth place to the seventeenth, Nikolayev region from the ninth to the eighteenth. Conversely, such areas as Sumy, Zhytomyr and Volyn changed the rating from the eleventh fifth, from fifteenth to tenth, from the seventeenth to ninth, respectively. This situation does not give grounds for expanding its own tax base, to create favorable conditions for the development of the region's economy and, therefore, there is the effect of artificial subsidization of economically developed regions.

Early labour market trajectories of intermediate and second generation Turkish and Maghreb women in Belgium

This study focuses on early labour market trajectories of Turkish and Maghreb origin women who graduated in Belgium (Flanders) between 2005 and 2016. In contrast to available literature that largely focuses on employment positions at one point, we assess whether there are ethnic differentials in entering a sustainable employment spell, operationalised as an employment spell of at least four consecutive quarters, leading to a gross monthly wage of at least 82% of the gross Belgian minimum wage and a work intensity of at least 40% of a full-time position in the fourth quarter of the employment spell. Subsequently, we consider ethnic differentials in the characteristics of the first sustainable employment spell (type of employment, type of contract and gross wage quintile), as well as the length of the sustainable employment spell. Using longitudinal microdata, we examine how and to what extent these differentials can be explained by individual, previous employment, household and parental characteristics. Results indicate that, compared to native women, Turkish and Maghreb origin women are less likely to enter and more likely to exit a first sustainable employment spell. These differentials with natives are largest for the intermediate generation and are reproduced and reinforced over labour market careers. Although ethnic differentials diminish after controlling for individual, previous employment, household and parental characteristics, substantial differences remain.

Social determinants of tuberculosis via a zero-inflated model in small areas of a city in Southeastern Brazil.

This study aimed to analyze social factors involved in the spatial distribution and under-reporting of tuberculosis (TB) in the city of Vitória, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. This was an ecological study of the reported cases of TB between 2009 and 2011, according to census tracts. The outcome was TB incidence for the study period and the variables of exposure were proportions of literacy, inhabitants with an income of up to half the minimum monthly wage (MMW), and inhabitants associated with sewer mains or with access to safe drinking water. We used a zero-inflated process, zero-inflated negative binomial regression (ZINB), and selected an explanatory model based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). A total of 588 cases of tuberculosis were reported in Vitória during the study period, distributed among 223 census tracts (38.6%), with 354 (61.4%) tracts presenting zero cases. In the ZINB model, the mean value of p i was 0.93, indicating that there is a 93% chance that an observed false zero could be due to sub-notification. It is important to prioritize areas exhibiting determinants that influence the occurrence of TB in the municipality of Vitória. The zero-inflated model can be useful to the public health sector since it identifies the percentage of false zeros, generating an estimate of the real epidemiological condition of TB in Vitória.

Spatial Polarity and Spatial Polarization in the Context of Supranational and National Scales: Regions of Visegrad Countries After Their Accession to the EU

The paper focuses on the evaluation of some aspects of the spatial organization of economic development of regions in the V4 countries after their accession to the EU. It focuses on the confirmation or confutation of the application of two principles of spatial organization based on the context of polarization theories, namely the polarity between western and eastern regions (i.e. the West– East gradient) and the polarity between the capital and other regions of the country (i.e. the national metropolitan gradient) at national and supranational levels. In the evaluation of the spatial polarity, the remoteness of various regions of the V4 countries from the economic core area (the Blue Banana, respectively the capital of the country) acts as the independent variable, whereby two economic indicators, i.e. the average monthly wage and the unemployment rate were chosen as the dependent variables. The analysis showed that on the supranational scale of the research in the monitored period, the increase of spatial polarisation was recorded. The increasing role of the West–East gradient and declining role of the national metropolitan gradient in the dynamics of spatial polarity has also been confirmed. The analysis has not confirmed the scale shift of polarity according to the West–East gradient to the national level, but at the same time it has pointed out the significant influence of the national metropolitan gradient in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary at this assessment level.

Comparative Analysis of Average Monthly Real Pay of Corporate Employees in Irkutsk Oblast in Terms of Types of Economic Activity

The rate of salary and remuneration as monetary compensation for labour depends on many factors that can be combined into the following groups: territorial, organizational and legal, gender, professional and educational, etc. The article examines the dependence of the average monthly real wage on the type of economic activity. In addition, the authors study the dynamics and degree of variation of the average monthly real wages in terms of types of economic activity in Irkutsk Oblast. Having analyzed the real average monthly wages by types of economic activity, the authors categorized them into several groups according to their scale.

Spatial polarity and spatial polarization in the context of supranational and national scales: regions of Visegrad countries after their accession to the EU

Abstract The paper focuses on the evaluation of some aspects of the spatial organization of economic development of regions in the V4 countries after their accession to the EU. It focuses on the confirmation or confutation of the application of two principles of spatial organization based on the context of polarization theories, namely the polarity between western and eastern regions (i.e. the West–East gradient) and the polarity between the capital and other regions of the country (i.e. the national metropolitan gradient) at national and supranational levels. In the evaluation of the spatial polarity, the remoteness of various regions of the V4 countries from the economic core area (the Blue Banana, respectively the capital of the country) acts as the independent variable, whereby two economic indicators, i.e. the average monthly wage and the unemployment rate were chosen as the dependent variables. The analysis showed that on the supranational scale of the research in the monitored period, the increase of spatial polarisation was recorded. The increasing role of the West–East gradient and declining role of the national metropolitan gradient in the dynamics of spatial polarity has also been confirmed. The analysis has not confirmed the scale shift of polarity according to the West–East gradient to the national level, but at the same time it has pointed out the significant influence of the national metropolitan gradient in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary at this assessment level.

The Effect of Workplace Pensions on Household Saving: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Taiwan

AbstractPopulation aging causes financial imbalances in pay‐as‐you‐go public pension programs. To remedy this problem, while ensuring the adequacy of retirement savings for employees, many countries complement or substitute public pensions by regulating their workplace pensions. This article exploits a pension reform in Taiwan that has mandated, since 2005, that all private‐sector employers contribute at least 6 percent of an employee's monthly wage to an individual pension account. I use workers in the unaffected sectors as a comparison group and employ a difference‐in‐differences method to estimate the impact of the reform on household saving rates. My estimates suggest that making private pensions mandatory significantly reduces the household saving rate by between 2.06 and 2.45 percentage points, thus implying that a $ 10 increase in the workplace pension could offset $ 5 to $ 6 of household savings.

POVERTY IN RUSSIA: KEY APPROACHES TO ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT

The paper presents the results of the study, which was aimed at comparative statistical analysis of the main indicators of poverty of different socio-demographic groups of the population to identify patterns and characteristics of poverty in Russia. The information base of the study was the data of the Federal State Statistics Service, in particular the materials of the statistical Bulletin "Socio-economic indicators of poverty in 2013–2016". The statistical poverty assessment, presented by the author is carried out within the framework of the absolute concept of poverty, taking into account its main criterion – the size of the subsistence minimum. Data from the sample household budget survey (HBS) in 2016 allowed for a subjective approach to poverty assessment and a study of opinions of the Russian people on their own financial situation. The use of statistical data of the Federal State Statistics Service revealed the reduction of poverty by 2,1 times (from 29% to 13,5%) for the period from 2000 to 2016 and the excess of the average per capita income and average monthly wage of the subsistence minimum by more than 3,0 times. However, all this does not indicate the general welfare of the country's citizens. The directive-based subsistence minimum as a standard of consumption is highly underestimated and does not meet the most important needs of the modern man. The results of the sociological survey of household budgets confirm the social stratification of society: more than 86% of Russians consider themselves poor. Based on the comparative characteristics of the poverty level in the regions of the Russian Federation, regions with the level of poverty below, at and above the average Russian level are identified. 63,5% of regions are characterized by the level of poverty that exceeds the average Russian level, which proves the severity of poverty and socio-economic inequality in the country. The results of the study allowed determining the characteristics of poverty in Russia. First, the existence and social (children, youth, pensioners) and economic poverty of the working population (employees of the public sector). Second, interregional differences and high spatial differentiation of the level of poverty in the context of the regions of the Russian Federation. In the current situation, solving the problems of poverty in Russia and overcoming social inequality should be a priority of the government's domestic socio-economic policy.

Essential Factors Determining the Quality of Population Life

Essential Factors Determining the Quality of Population Life

Impact of the Economic Situation in the Slovak Republic on Performances of Railway Transport

The paper deals with analysis of the development of performances in freight rail transport in comparison with the development of gross domestic product as the main indicator measuring the economic performance of the country and on the other hand the performances in passenger rail transport in relation to the development of the average monthly wage as one of the most important indicator characterizing the living standard. The change in demand for transport services is analyzed with respect to the change in the price of the ticket in passenger rail transport and also the change in the price for transport of one tonne of goods in freight rail transport.

Factors associated with dental pain in toddlers detected using the dental discomfort questionnaire.

Dental pain is one of the most common symptoms of untreated oral problems and exerts a strong impact on the well-being of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associated factors with dental pain in children aged 1-3 years using the Brazilian version of the Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ-B). A cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Diamantina, Brazil. A total of 318 randomly selected children were submitted to an oral clinical examination for the evaluation of tooth injuries and dental caries (International Caries Detection and Assessment System, [ICDAS]). The caregivers of the children were asked to answer the DDQ-B as well as a questionnaire addressing demographic and socioeconomic aspects of the family. Statistical analysis was performed and involved the description of frequencies as well as Poisson hierarchical regression analysis. Dental pain was associated with a household income less than the Brazilian minimum monthly wage (Prevalence ratios [PRs] = 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.66, P = 0.011) and dental caries in dentin - ICDAS codes 5 and 6 (PR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.13-1.94, P = 0.004). Greater frequencies of dental pain were found in 1-3-year-old children from families with a low monthly income and dental caries with visible dentin with or without pulp involvement.

More Robots, Fewer Rights: Labour Trends in Electronics Manufacturing

manufacturing workers are lower than China. At the moment, the monthly wage of USD $500 seems to be the turning point at which an electronics factory moves to the lower wage countries or introduces new technologies replacing the workers in manufacturing process. The world’s top five highest earning ICT electronics MNCs (Apple, Samsung Electronics, Foxconn, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard) originate from countries that have not ratified the core ILO Conventions on freedom of association (No.87) and the right to collective bargaining (No.98). These MNCs also operate and/or outsource labour intensive production processes to suppliers located in countries where these rights are not respected such as in South East Asian countries and India. Absent trade union rights, these companies enjoy making profit for the benefit of their top management, who are ranked among the richest people in the world. We must fight back! The tide of Industry 4.0 will soon hit factories in these low-wage countries as the cost of new technology keeps going down. When that happens, the workers who have no union or low union density will not be able to negotiate with either management or government to protect their employment, or to get access to skills and training for adapting to new technology. Without that capacity, these workers will just lose their jobs or be forced into an even more precarious working conditions at a lower cost than robots. We must seriously ask ourselves, ‘what are 500,000 exFoxconn workers doing now?’ Industry 4.0 is reducing the existing manufacturing jobs of union members and increasing the number of unorganised white-collar jobs (such as IT designer, programmer, cloud worker). It is weakening the workers’ capacity to bargain collectively. The question is ultimately who pays for, and who benefits from, a transition to Industry 4.0? Workers and trade unions need to be part of the decision making process when the fates of millions of workers are being decided upon. This means that international workers’ solidarity is more important than ever. Unions must fight back by organising and fostering strong negotiation power among the workers to secure a sustainable future. FOCUS | INDUSTRY 4.0 5 25/3 | International Union Rights | In the electronics sector, multinationals either turn to automation or shift production – to lower wage costs.The question is ultimately who pays for, and who benefits from, a transition to Industry 4.0? The electronics industry is one of the largest industrial sectors in the global economy. As society becomes increasingly digitally connected and ‘smarter’, the sector continues to boom alongside Industry 4.0, which is now having a massive impact on workers and trade union rights. In Europe and Japan, it has been estimated that the Industry 4.0 could modify the jobs of million workers (possibly up to 54 percent of jobs) in the coming years. New technology, such as digitalisation of production with the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, Virtual/Augmented reality, Big Data, Cobots (robots designed to cooperate with human beings) are developing and penetrating workplaces faster than unions imagination. The Big Two: Foxconn and Samsung Foxconn, Apple supplier and one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, had almost 1.3 million workers in 2014. Then the company announced that in-house developed robots called ‘Fox-bots’ would replace 30 percent of workers at their production lines. Today, the company employs 800,000 workers. More than the company’s expectation, 40 percent of workers has been rapidly replaced with Fox-bots. The robot costs USD $25,000 and could replace up to four workers who earn USD $24,000 a year (a standard worker’s annual wage is USD $6,000 at the Foxconn Chongqing factory in China, in 2014). Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has become the biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam. By taking advantage of the lower manufacturing costs and Vietnamese government’s preferential treatment, the company built the world’s largest smart phone factories there (manufacturing 50 percent of all Samsung smart phones) and employs more than 100,000 workers who account for one third of all Samsung workers worldwide. The standard wage for an assembly worker at the factories is USD $250 a month...

More Robots, Fewer Rights: Labour Trends in Electronics Manufacturing

manufacturing workers are lower than China. At the moment, the monthly wage of USD $500 seems to be the turning point at which an electronics factory moves to the lower wage countries or introduces new technologies replacing the workers in manufacturing process. The world’s top five highest earning ICT electronics MNCs (Apple, Samsung Electronics, Foxconn, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard) originate from countries that have not ratified the core ILO Conventions on freedom of association (No.87) and the right to collective bargaining (No.98). These MNCs also operate and/or outsource labour intensive production processes to suppliers located in countries where these rights are not respected such as in South East Asian countries and India. Absent trade union rights, these companies enjoy making profit for the benefit of their top management, who are ranked among the richest people in the world. We must fight back! The tide of Industry 4.0 will soon hit factories in these low-wage countries as the cost of new technology keeps going down. When that happens, the workers who have no union or low union density will not be able to negotiate with either management or government to protect their employment, or to get access to skills and training for adapting to new technology. Without that capacity, these workers will just lose their jobs or be forced into an even more precarious working conditions at a lower cost than robots. We must seriously ask ourselves, ‘what are 500,000 exFoxconn workers doing now?’ Industry 4.0 is reducing the existing manufacturing jobs of union members and increasing the number of unorganised white-collar jobs (such as IT designer, programmer, cloud worker). It is weakening the workers’ capacity to bargain collectively. The question is ultimately who pays for, and who benefits from, a transition to Industry 4.0? Workers and trade unions need to be part of the decision making process when the fates of millions of workers are being decided upon. This means that international workers’ solidarity is more important than ever. Unions must fight back by organising and fostering strong negotiation power among the workers to secure a sustainable future. FOCUS | INDUSTRY 4.0 5 25/3 | International Union Rights | In the electronics sector, multinationals either turn to automation or shift production – to lower wage costs.The question is ultimately who pays for, and who benefits from, a transition to Industry 4.0? The electronics industry is one of the largest industrial sectors in the global economy. As society becomes increasingly digitally connected and ‘smarter’, the sector continues to boom alongside Industry 4.0, which is now having a massive impact on workers and trade union rights. In Europe and Japan, it has been estimated that the Industry 4.0 could modify the jobs of million workers (possibly up to 54 percent of jobs) in the coming years. New technology, such as digitalisation of production with the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, Virtual/Augmented reality, Big Data, Cobots (robots designed to cooperate with human beings) are developing and penetrating workplaces faster than unions imagination. The Big Two: Foxconn and Samsung Foxconn, Apple supplier and one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, had almost 1.3 million workers in 2014. Then the company announced that in-house developed robots called ‘Fox-bots’ would replace 30 percent of workers at their production lines. Today, the company employs 800,000 workers. More than the company’s expectation, 40 percent of workers has been rapidly replaced with Fox-bots. The robot costs USD $25,000 and could replace up to four workers who earn USD $24,000 a year (a standard worker’s annual wage is USD $6,000 at the Foxconn Chongqing factory in China, in 2014). Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has become the biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam. By taking advantage of the lower manufacturing costs and Vietnamese government’s preferential treatment, the company built the world’s largest smart phone factories there (manufacturing 50 percent of all Samsung smart phones) and employs more than 100,000 workers who account for one third of all Samsung workers worldwide. The standard wage for an assembly worker at the factories is USD $250 a month...

Impact of the Minimum Wage Policy on Consumption Expenditure and Poverty in Egypt

Development has not yet achieved its goals in developing countries due to the increase in poverty rates. In October 2013, the Government of Egypt decided to implement the monthly minimum wage policy to allow citizens attain their needs of different expenditure groups thus reduce poverty. The research estimated the monthly wage that allows poor household individuals attain their daily needs of different expenditure groups after the latest increases in prices, and compared it with the monthly minimum wage to find if it helped them move out of poverty. Findings revealed that such policy shall help move 53% of the study households out of poverty, but the rest are threatened to fall in poverty as prices go higher. The research recommended revisiting the monthly minimum wage periodically to match the rising prices to help improve the economic conditions of vulnerable categories for better health and economic performance to achieve development goals.

Global Production and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages

The article analyzes the global level of alcohol consumption with the emphasis on pricing and taxation in the industry. The affordability of alcoholic beverages is assessed relative to the average monthly wages by country worldwide.