28324: Fuller Re: 28288: rossier comments Re: 28285: SLMathison: (ask) Fwd: Salaries in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

> From Rob Fuller

Haiti certainly could do with a drastic increase in real incomes across the
board. But giving disproportionately large salaries to a lucky few will not
help to achieve this.

In terms of household income, Haiti is already the most unequal country in
Latin America (which is itself the most unequal region in the world). This
certainly leads to social tension - witness kidnappings in Pétionville as an
extreme example. While a small number of Haitian people have secured
well-paid jobs with the UN and large NGOs, the overwhelming majority have
seen little benefit from this.

Even the increase in consumption resulting from employing people on high
salaries is unlikely to benefit the rest of Haiti much, since most of the
resulting extra consumption will probably be spent on imported "luxury"
goods. I do not see much evidence of the "trickledown" of wealth from the
rich elite to the rural poor. (And only a little even to the urban poor.)

Unfortunately, I suspect that the UN and NGOs have already have pushed up
market salaries for the (relatively scarce) skilled employees that the
original poster was looking for. So anybody who is considering setting up a
business in this country will find that the international community have
made it more expensive: that is, they have decreased the incentives for
investment. That's a shame, when investment in sustainable businesses is
what this country really needs for long-term job creation and development.

Rob

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