An American dude who was paid a US salary while living in UK has sparked a conversation about the ‘massive’ wage-gap.
More than half of British workers (52 percent) feel ‘underpaid’, according to a 2022 survey by recruiter Indeed, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact day-to-day life.
Across the pond in the US seems to be a similar story as 58 percent of Americans think they are ‘somewhat underpaid’, a 2023 YouGov survey has revealed.
However, for an American who has been living in Britain for nearly 10 years, he is still stunned at how ‘low’ UK wages are.
Taking to TikTok under the username @mr._sassy, he explained: “I’m an American, I’ve been living in UK for nearly 10 years.
“Now, although I’ve been here for 10 years, I spent about five of those years on a US salary.
“So it wasn’t until I was finishing up my first degree that I went on Indeed and start looking at British jobs.
“And I was so shocked. I looked at my best friend, I said, ‘Why are they asking for a psychologist with a PhD? But offering £50,000? Is this, is this an error? Is this a part time job?’
“And he explained to me, ‘No, this is actually a good salary in the UK’. And I was like, ‘Come again?'”
He continued: “And I think people might think I’m being funny when I say this, but trying to understand what a comfortable salary was in the UK was kind of like trying to change Fahrenheit to Celsius, like, okay, is this good?
“Is this hot, is this cold? Is this a comfortable salary, is is a poor salary?
“So now, five years after that initial conversation, I did have a proper understanding of what comfortable salary is, but I’m still very enticed by American salaries.
“I’m sure you’ve seen them six figures. And with my background, I have a master’s and a stem.
“I had the opportunity to make six comfortable figures. I will say I do miss having the American salary that I was living on when I first moved here.”
So, depending on where you live of course, workers in the US will tend to earn more than people in the UK, but it isn’t as clear cut as you might think.
“The average salary in the US is higher than in the UK, but it’s important not to read too much into this,” Independent employment agency CMD Recruitment explained.
“Just because US workers typically earn more, this doesn’t mean that they have more money to spend.
“There are many factors that determine the disposable income that employees have at the end of the money, including healthcare, taxation and other deductions.”
The main differences between UK and US salaries come down to the following:
- Pensions
- Healthcare
- Holiday entitlement
- National income disparity
- Cost of living
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
