Germany: Technicians are highly respected
“It may be difficult for people who are not familiar with the situation to imagine that a friend of mine is a truck driver and his monthly income is about the same as mine. Including overtime, it is usually much higher than my income," said Mr. Yang, who has studied and worked in Germany for many years.
When I said these words, it was the 2012 Cologne Carnival in Germany. In a lively local bar, Mr. Yang, wearing a suit and leather tie, told reporters about the treatment between blue-collar workers and white-collar workers in Germany. Mr. Yang now works in a large company in Germany. After years of hard work, he is now a middle-level manager of the company and has a permanent employment contract. He can be described as a typical white-collar worker.
Generally speaking, the wages and benefits of blue-collar workers and white-collar workers in Germany are not as different as in some countries. This situation does not make people like Mr. Yang feel unfair. "Although blue-collar workers may have similar incomes to me, they are traveling outside all year round. While we are drinking beer here, others may still be working hard."
As a major manufacturing country, Germany attaches great importance to blue-collar workers. Philip Boeing, an economist at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany, once told reporters that many Germans have been interested in machinery since childhood and like to tinker with machines themselves. “It is good for these people to be able to work in factories when they grow up. choose".
In Germany, the dividing line between blue-collar and white-collar students in their future careers begins in elementary school. Children with excellent academic performance and suitable for studying and doing scientific research are naturally "transported" to the higher education stage in the German education system. With higher academic qualifications, they will eventually work in scientific research institutions, hospitals, banks, etc. It is common for most people in many countries. An enviable place to go. Most German students cannot get a Ph.D. or even get into university, but German parents are not in a hurry and will never "force" famous college students or even master's or Ph.D. students with sticks.
“In German factories, technicians and engineers are very respected.” Boeing said. Not only that, many technicians in factories earn even more than white-collar workers.
However, it is not easy for technicians in factories to develop skills. From the time German students enter vocational schools, it has become a "compulsory course" to learn craftsmanship and skills from old masters in factories, and of course they must also undergo strict examinations.
When the reporter interviewed Mercedes-Benz at the Sindelfingen factory in Germany, they found that many mechanics have been working there for the rest of their lives since entering the factory. "The technicians are "polishing" exquisite cars one after another from their hands. The technicians are proud of the factory and the company. Of course, these experienced technicians are also a valuable asset of the company." said a relevant person from the factory.
A survey released by the U.S. Department of Labor last year showed that in 2012, the income of German blue-collar workers ranked sixth in the world, with an hourly wage of US$43.76 (US$1 is equivalent to RMB 6.18).
I am afraid that it is precisely because of this that even though the German economy is shrouded in the clouds of the European debt crisis, it can still rely on the manufacturing industry supported by blue-collar workers and repeatedly create miracles of growth against the trend.
Japan: Farmers earn more than civil servants
The reporter walked into a tea pot (an iron pot for boiling water in tea ceremony) workshop and saw a tea pot selling for 1 million yen (about 100 yen) (6.28 yuan), and it is common for a tea bowl made by a senior pottery artist to sell for 500,000 to 600,000 yen in Ginza. Seeing such prices, you can guess the income of these blue-collar workers, right?
In Japan, many blue-collar workers started their careers halfway on their way to white-collar jobs. A worker at a printing press manufacturer told reporters that he was a college student but dropped out of school. However, those who joined this printing machinery factory as a blue-collar worker would "not necessarily earn much higher after graduating from college."
The December 2006 issue of the Japanese business management magazine "PRESIDENT" used 111 pages to comprehensively introduce the income of various industries in Japan. Among them, 13.29 million yen is for dentists (90,000 people), 8.08 million yen for employees of excellent listed companies (960,000 people), 7.65 million yen for farmers (3.68 million people), and 7.28 million yen for local civil servants (3.14 million people). people), national civil servants are 6.28 million yen (1.1 million people), working class average is 4.39 million yen (44.53 million people), boiler workers are 4.03 million yen (10,000 people), and carpenters are 3.65 million yen ( 50,000 people).
It can be seen that the income of farmers is not low, and is even higher than that of national civil servants and local civil servants. The number of individuals in the high-income class is actually very limited. Most people's incomes are relatively average, and the brain-body differentiation is not serious. Now, a convenience store next to the reporter's station is recruiting part-time workers, and they can earn 1,000 yen per hour.
Atsushi Sawada, representative of the Japan-China Entrepreneurship Association's Hisunaga Office, pointed out that the income of blue-collar workers and white-collar workers mainly depends on the "balance of demand and supply" to determine prices, and wages are also determined by this economic principle. There are various levels of white-collar workers, and there are various types of blue-collar jobs.
Fund managers, branch presidents of large banks and other cadres, university professors, etc. are generally high-income earners. Because holding these positions requires high-end knowledge, experience and opportunities.