| Summary: | While it is difficult to compare the overall cost of workers, because the value of what they produce is as important as how much they cost to employ, figures on labor costs for a computer programmer, systems analyst, and textile worker in eight countries suggest that, say, Japanese textile workers would have an enormous job to outproduce their rivals in poor countries. However, it is not automatically true that lower-paid workers bring a competitive advantage. A textile worker in South Carolina with a lot of machinery at his disposal can be more cost-effective than a cheaper worker in Mexico with less machinery. In occupations where human capital is at a premium, wage costs may be more significant. A table lists the total salary and non-salary costs of employing a computer programmer, a systems analyst, and a textile worker in the U.S., Japan, West Germany, France, Britain, India, Mexico, and Hong Kong.
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