Guess which country

There’s a country whose economy grew by 60.2 percent, with Gross Domestic Product rising from $222.27 billion in 2012 to $356.7 billion in 2022

The businesses of this country experienced happy times from 2012 to 2019, with net incomes or profits growing by 72 percent from $35.8 billion to $60.9 billion.

For its top 1,000 corporations, profits rose by 35 percent from $19.7 billion in 2012 to $26.8 billion in 2019. During the pandemic, profits went up 25 percent or $32.2 billion.

Playing a key role are the country’s workforce, with labor productivity increasing by 28.9 percent from $5,916 per worker in 2012 to $7,627 in 2022.

One would think that given this data set, this country’s workers would have enjoyed wage increases and pandemic economic assistance. But not really.

Real wages have risen by much less than productivity and the growing economy.

For starters, wages are so low in this particular country. Even small increases may not matter at all.

Average daily basic pay (ADBP) grew by less than 21 percent from $7 in 2012 to $8.45 in 2022, at constant 2018 prices. In the 2012-2019 period where workforce productivity was up by 40 percent, real ADBP increased by only 21 percent.

It is obvious to people in this country that wages have not kept up with inflation where the consumer price index increased by 35.3 percent from 85 in 2012 to 115 in 2022, with 2018=100.

Currently, while the country’s statisticians estimate that a family living wage is at $19.75, the workers’ average pay is at $9.74. Not even half of a living wage.

The country’s poverty line is at $215 per month for a family of five.

Yet, the average monthly takehome pay of workers stands at $159.

The wage levels in this country are diced and sliced by region, with the capital region receiving the highest wages. The poorest region receives the lowest. In fact, in the region inhabited mostly by the country’s major national minorities, the average workers’ pay is reportedly 36 percent below the poverty line, and 71 percent below the family living wage.

This is not a “poor” country. It is known worldwide for its agriculture, fisheries, forestry, rich gold and other minerals, and other natural resources.

Depending on one’s point-ofview, the people here are either sought-after by many countries for their skills, or have fled the country to earn a decent living.

Estimates vary but about 15 million of this country’s people live and work abroad, and send billions of dollars in remittances.

In February 2023, they remitted $2.569 billion.

For the entire 2022, its citizens abroad remitted $36.14 billion, which represented 8.9 percent of the GDP and 8.4 percent of gross national income.

The country’s workers have come together and have filed wage hike petitions and have called on their legislature to enact a nationwide across-the-board wage increase. While some legislators said they “approve it in principle,” actual approval is not in the horizon. The government is silent about it.

Could you guess which country this is? What would you want this country to do? Do you think its workers get a fair share and a fair shake? Is this country dependent (or addicted) to remittances of its workers abroad? What’s the way out for this country? Is it the workers’ fault that the situation is like this? Would you stay in such a country?

The wage levels in this country are diced and sliced by region, with the capital region receiving the highest wages. The poorest region receives the lowest.