Biggest wage gap observed among professional workers

THE GAP between the highest and lowest wages within the same occupation group was widest among professionals and narrowest among service workers last year, the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) reported.

The BLES report based on the 2010 Occupational Wages Survey showed that high-earning professionals received an average monthly wage of P69,286, which was 7.3 times higher than the P9,474 monthly salary of low-earning professionals. This gap was wider than the 4.1 times recorded in the previous survey conducted in 2008.

Meanwhile, the wage differential among service workers and shop and market sales workers narrowed down to 1.9 times from 2.4 times, with last year’s monthly wages ranging from P7,366 to P13,663.

“Changes [in wage rates] are greatly attributed to the interaction of the following: employment shifts or turnover of employees in occupations and in industries, work experience, seniority, length of service, bargaining negotiations, restructuring, among others,” the BLES said.

Vicente R. Leogardo, Jr., director-general of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said differences in wage rates among workers with similar occupations are being dictated by the market.

“Sometimes wages differ due to the normal demand and supply of workers in the said position,” he said.

“For some in-demand positions which have a small number of qualified workers, employers tend to offer better pay. For other positions, oversupply of workers could be a reason for lower salary.”

Wage differentials in the following occupations slimmed down — technicians and associate professionals (from 9.9 times to 6.8 times, with a monthly salary range of P8,549-P57,789), craft and related trades (from 3.6 times to 3.5 times, P7,204-P25,000), and supervisors (from 3.3 times to 3.2 times, P11,384-P36,133).

On the other hand, the following reported wider wage gaps — clerks (from 2.3 times to 4.6 times, P7,731-P35,424), plant and machine operators and assemblers (from 2.9 times to 4.0 times, P7,027-P28,036), and elementary occupations (from 2.2 times to 2.4 times, P8,877-P20,958). — D. A. Nepomuceno-Rodriguez, BUsinessworld