Dear Editor,

There is subtle pressure on young working-class people, whether due to personal or societal expectations, to exhibit a particularly flashy lifestyle, which turns out to be an expensive way of earning a living.

A recent survey conducted among 119 companies in 20 Caribbean countries by Caribbean Salary Survey Report: Pay Pulse 2024, which analysed salaries across 78 roles in 34 industries from top positions, such as chief executive officer, general manager, and chief marketing officer, to entry-level positions, including groundsmen, bartender, janitor, cashier, and receptionist, revealed that Jamaica might be, on average, among the lowest-paying countries in the region.

Yet there are many people who work in corporations who spend excessively to ensure they dress professionally so that they look sharp and presentable for jobs which are not paying them adequately. In March last year I wrote a column titled ‘Fancy job titles but poor remuneration’ in which I highlighted the following: “When you ask them about the type of work that they do, several of them are proud to respond with their fancy job titles, which, to some extent, gives the impression that they are decently compensated. However, when you go beyond the surface of the conversation, you start to realise that there is a disconnect between the two elements.”

Truthfully, some roles require a certain degree of professional attire and proper grooming and freshness in order to be taken seriously. Consider an executive assistant, for example, who works in a top corporation in his or her industry. This individual is likely to be invited to regular meetings with top-notch executives and even represent his or her superior on some occasions. Consequently, given the demands of such a role – some of which can be very spontaneous – the executive assistant has to always be ready to represent. Apparently, there is some level of correlation between the image of the employee and the seriousness of the corporation.

In addition to dresswear, the employee – who does not work even a quarter of what his or her senior colleagues collect in salaries – may have to obtain a car through a bank loan. This could be influenced by several factors, such as convenience or the mere reality of just keeping up appearances simply to fit in. After all, why should an employee who rubs shoulders with esteemed clients and has a fancy job title dress up nicely every day but does not own a car? That is not very ‘cutesy’!

Besides, other expenses, such as groceries, outings, personal products, rent or mortgage, fuel, and possibly student loan, have not yet been factored in. In essence, many people are incurring expenses to earn an income which cannot sustain their lifestyle. There are many who are hungry at home and cannot take care of their basic needs but put out their best efforts to show up loudly for their job.

And in an era influenced by social media and networking, one can be easily swayed to live beyond that which his/her pocket can afford. Have you ever gone on
LinkedIn and felt as though you are lagging behind significantly? Some want to imitate so-called influencers, but many of these influencers do not even have a regular nine-to-five job. And even if they do, they have different sources of income that they can use to supplement their image-based lifestyle.

Ironically, earning an income, which should take us out of debt, is putting some people in debt due to them not prioritising what matters most and staying in their lanes.

Concerning salaries, some of them are still extremely low despite the Government’s public sector compensation restructuring. Undeniably, the efforts of the Government are appreciated; however, now that many of us can earn far more in other Caribbean islands and in more developed economies, will it not encourage more people to move to greener pastures?

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com