Kenya Pays Factory Workers Twice As Rival Bangladesh (Business Daily)

Workers in Kenyan factories earn more than twice the average wages that industries in Ethiopia and Bangladesh pay their labourers even as global brands favour low pay countries, a new study shows.

US-based Centre for Global Development puts the annual pay per worker in Kenyan industries at $2,118 (Sh218,154), equivalent to Sh18,179 per month.

Workers in Ethiopia’s sweatshops earn an average $909 (Sh93, 627), or Sh7,802 per month while the wage in Bangladesh, famous for its vibrant garments industry, is a paltry $835 (Sh86,005) yearly.

Tanzania factories pay an average $1,776 (Sh182,928) a year, or Sh15,244 monthly, the study shows.

“Yet taking the broader global picture their (Kenya) manufacturing labour appears costly relative to that of Bangladesh, a country with comparable income level and competitiveness rating,” the report says.