Posted by Curious George on Tuesday, 13. October 1998 at 03:45 Bali Time:
In Reply to: massage v wages posted by Gnatnib on Monday, 12. October 1998 at 16:39 Bali Time:
The locals I spoke with averaged rp100,000-rp300,000/month if they were in basic retail or service jobs. some of the lower wage earners had potential for significantly more through tips (waiters, etc). As far as cost of massage. In any economy there are those who earn more than average and of course the "independent business person" has an opportunity to do much better but then their income is not guaranteed like the employee so it is a trade off. In America, the average wage might be $10/hour but I'm sure an hour massage will cost you much more. And so it goes, its called "the market".
The Indonesian economy is not in a crisis because some tourists pay rp20,000 for a massage or because tourists pay more for everything than the locals do, in fact it may be the only thing keeping the majority from starving. Tourists pay more for everything in New York too but that isn't why the Dow Jones average is falling.