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Wage expectations for local help?

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Garpy
  1/4/2020 11:42 EST

Looking for advice on how much to pay for local help.
Cayo region
I have someone now who is supposed to works 5 hours per week. Aprox 2 1/2 hours twice a week. Job entails general cleanup of fallen coconuts, tree branches, watering new fruit trees, chopping weeds close to house and any other labour to fill the time as not really enough to fill the full 5 hours per week. The person I have now is constantly trying to find ways to get more money (and with less work) and now wanting a higher wage. Maybe I am not paying enough. Maybe I'm paying too much and being taken advantage of. I'd like to pay a proper wage.

My question is what per hour or for the total of 20 hours per month should I be paying for this type of help?

terrific
  1/4/2020 14:15 EST

How much are you paying now?

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josephinflorida
  1/4/2020 17:20 EST

Some restaurant jobs in the resort towns pay around three dollars an hour or 12 hour shifts six days a week. Seems like your man has a good job regardless of what you pay him.

Just tell him you’ll give him a good reference if he doesn’t wanna work there anymore but the pay is what it is. I don’t think he can do much better

dqtester
  1/4/2020 18:18 EST

I'm in Toledo district, and have a laborer that takes care of property (cutting grass, chopping, house watching, etc.) that I currently pay at a rate of $3.75 BZD/hour. but paid him $3.15 bzd/hour 18 months ago when he started

I believe the current minimum wage in Belize is $3.30 BZD/hour. I'm not sure what you're currently paying this person, but I would use the minimum wage as a guide, and not feel pressured to pay more just because he's asking for more.

toddwinston
  1/4/2020 20:08 EST

I'm an employer in Canada. I have always paid a bit better and gave great perks to my employees.
I have a property manager for our building in Belize that I just trade free rent. I'm not sure what he pays our employees to clean up around our property. After this thread I will find out. I am 100% happy to pay a high premium to what the average labourer is making. The simple common way to put it is that "you get what you pay for"...

LiebersDad
  1/5/2020 01:27 EST

i dont know about Belize but i own a company in the US and i know things are a bit different, but if he does good work and you wanna keep him pay him. i keep my employees happy by paying better than others and offering more perks. i get my choice of employees that way, they rarely leave and they understand that because they make more than others they have to BE better than others.

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Garpy
  1/5/2020 13:41 EST

It would seem I'm paying too much for what I get. I pay $5.00 per hour now and would be happy to continue if I got good work without constantly being pressured to pay more. Looks like I"ll be needing to look for a new person.
Anyone have any ideas how to find a good yard person. My place is a little east of Santa Elena

elgordo42
  1/5/2020 14:39 EST

I live in Cayo quite near you, in Esperanza village. My advice would be to keep paying this guy the $5/hour,
I think that is a fair rate, no need to quibble about a few shillings. I am assuming that he is doing good work and taking care of your equipment. Keep a good, reliable worker.
It is pretty common for Belizeans to ask for more work to make more money. Only if he is really being too pushy about expecting more, you may need to look for a replacement.

hrlee7804
  1/7/2020 10:10 EST

I have spent some time in Cayo in years past. One of my problems is what you are finding now....There is no clumping of expats to bounce things off of that are in your neighborhood. In Cayo you are kind of out there by yourself until you get everything figured out. Places expats gather in groups is much easier to get help on these types of questions. I loved Cayo but this (and a dozen other things) is why I found my retirement elsewhere.

Garpy
  1/11/2020 08:53 EST

Thanks everyone for the helpful info so far. My yard guy is looking to try to get another $1.00 per hour. to get it to $6.00 per hour total. That's obviously too much. Especially for the lack of drive. I'll be having an in depth chat with him shortly to see if he would like a reference for another job or continue at the rate he has now. Thank you all and still open to anyone who can recommend someone.

Kenubelizeit
  1/16/2020 23:18 EST

Work is hard to come by but at the same time be up front you will get paid this for this $$$ for this. So that means contractual labor. Clearing yard watering trees and what's not not more than 5 hours would be like $30 $40 bzd. That's it . Dont encourage mediocrity by overpaying knowing g full well they are trying to take advantage of you.

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terrific
  1/19/2020 14:58 EST

Looking at it from the workers view he is working for you two days a week but only 2 and a half hours each day. so he is unable to get a days labor from any other employer, on those days so he is thinking of it as $12,50 per day. a low wage.

My Handy man travels from Cayo to Belmopan as a day laborer he was paid $40 per day for 2 days a week the rest of the week he could not guarantee full employment. The hours he worked on his 2 days each were not evenly regulated they lasted as long as the work so some days he only did 6 hours others it would be 8 or until too dark to finish a job. some days he would ask to change his days as an offer of a few days local work came in, he has a wife and 2 children so he needs to work.
We have now taken him on as full time and a monthly wage of $1000 for 4 weeks at 5 and a half days a week.
Again the work dictates how many hours per day. We have the comfort of having a trusted employee, and he has the comfort of knowing he will be working everyday and can budget time and money better knowing it is the same each week. we made sure to register with the social security office so he also has a little insurrance for the future.

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