Elvira

It's something one factors in as a self-employed person. I calculate my rates based on what someone in my position would earn if I were employed, plus all the extra costs associated with being self-employed.

Though I hadn't realised that I would have to pay all those extra taxes - so my rates are slowly but surely going up!

At the end of the day, a self-employed person has to deliver and be competitive - otherwise clients will take their business elsewhere.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Aye, I spent two years as a contract worker covering Y2K stuff .. although I worked through my own makeshift company before the days of IR35. It's not until you work pay rates out, you necessarily think how much a good company benefits package is a actually worth in real terms.

I was just curious as to what the difference is in the US - with low holiday and often very little sick time being the norm the calculation must bring out a totally different rate. The question is ... are competitive salary rates that much higher that they compensate for this?

Elvira

That's the $64k question......... how do you find out what 'competitive salary rates' in your field are...

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

I'm in HR and have had the advantage of access to the Mercers Database in the past and I think it's one of the reasons that my opinion of higher salaries in the US is just not true for the vast, vast majority of the workforce. I spent 6 years at Gartner working in an international role and in real terms employees in Northern Europe and the US were not paid hugely differently.

snowbunny

It used to be that contract workers, who do not get benefits from the company they perform work for, made a significantly higher wage per hour than salaried employees of that same company. This is in high tech.

These days, many contractors make about the same wage per hour as employees, but do not receive benefits. What I can tell you is that while I make somewhat more per hour than an employee, by the time I factor in paid holidays, vacation time, and a few sick days, I'm worse off than an employee. The only real way to make more money as a contractor is to never take any time off.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Presumably then the contract workforce has depleted siginificantly? The dotcom bubble burst and the introduction of IR35 had huge impacts on the UK contract pool.

snowbunny

Depends upon how you look at it. Post-bust and in the age of outsourcing, contractors have lost their ability to command higher wages than direct employees. The mentality now is to throw three offshore workers at a problem rather than to hire one contractor. Sometimes this works, other times....

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Substitute offshore worker for third country national and I see the effects of this daily in every facet of life in the Middle East .. aside from some of the big multi-nationals it's the all round employment mentality for any job under higher middle management.

krizzy

Can't really complain about time off hubby gets 28 days soon to rise to 33...plus US holidays...they are also happy to give him time off if he makes it up later...which they really don't make sure you do...

snowbunny

Would he be willing to trade with me?

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2..._03_13_07.html

I lost a job I'd just started due to my youngest daughter becoming severely ill because my ex-husband had had custody and did not seek care for her despite my begging. When custody reverted to me after the weekend, he went to work, and I stayed home with a kid with a 104 F fever that didn't come down for 24 hours despite ibuprofen and paracetemol. Since I'd only been working for four days I got sacked for missing the next three.

This kidney stone and the cold that's followed it have meant that I'm worried about keeping my job and I've lost a week and a half of pay.

Seems I'm not alone, either.

lanky spoken here

Warbutons bakery in Bolton....79p a loaf and they have a factory shop which is even cheaper

lanky spoken here

After 13 weeks of employment in UK, they have to issue a "Contract of Employment", whereas in USA its hire and fire...very depressing.

krizzy

My daughter gets a week paid sick...or she can use it as holiday.....luckly I've always be able to stay home to watch both my kids and my grandson ...
My grandson had the same kind of sickness a few months ago...he was ill for 14 days....

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Bread world wide has had huge price hikes - wheat products full stop. The Italians had a boycott pasta day a little while ago to protest at 25-40% price rises.

Concurrant knock of weather conditions and bio fuel production are to blame.

Warburtons at home for me .. Sainsbury's west London was 1.04 last month for 800g of bread .. still nowhere near the $3.20 in 2006 for 400g of the only sugar free bread I ever found in my options of Harris Teeters or Food Lion.

surly

What I mean by self employed is a small owner operated business. Say a small auto repair shop. You wouldn't pay him double to fix your car because he was sick for a couple of days would you?
I don't really consider contract employees self employed, since for the most part they are employed by an agency.