Anyone seen these 1840 job postings? Offering jobs for US based companies to overseas workers for ridiculously lower salaries. Basically sweatshop salaries! US workers cannot compete with that, and the salaries offered for the amount of work seem highly unethical. There are several similar postings.
Check out this job at 1840 & Company: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3998440037
Mentor
I understand you are shocked and upset to see this.
First: But let’s be very clear. These are no where near close to sweatshop salaries. To compare $8-$12 USD per hour with a 9 hour work day offer to sweatshop wage shows that you really do not know what a sweatshop wage is. People in sweatshops are barely making a few of dollars a day, if that. To compare the two does a disservice to the true harm being done by sweatshops. Plus, what is being offered in these job postings isn’t even below the US minimum wage.
Second, what these job postings are outlining is outsourcing which is a very common practice in business. Take a job that can be done in a different part of the world, and pay cheaper wages for the same product. Businesses have been doing this for years and years. You say it’s unethical the amount of money being offered for the amount of work being asked. My question for you would be - what is your basis for that perspective? Are you basing that off your USA view of the job and salary expectations and cost of living? Do you have any idea have cheap (or expensive) it is to live in these specific regions where 1840 have posted? My guess and my quick search-these places 1) have a significant lower cost of living 2) have a higher USD conversion rate so the money goes further. So what may seem like low pay to us, is okay pay there.
Third: when saying US workers can’t compete—I’d say you’re right. Workers can’t compete when it comes to costs. However, we know that effective media relations requires more than just money. And do we really think someone in Morocco or Argentina or The Philippines will be just as effective (or more effective) when it comes to being a media relations strategist as someone who is here stateside and is actually tracking changes in the landscape in real time? My guess is that this is an exploration to see if this could work for PR but they will learn that it’s harder to do than previously believed. OR it could be an ideal position of a PR nomad.