Why the U.S. can't build icebreaking ships

Re:Why the U.S. can't build icebreaking ships by ywvcbk on Friday September 27, 2024 @01:50AM (#41666677)

I’m not sure labor costs could explain the difference the supposedly 5x difference in cost between Finland and the US. Labor is only a fraction of the overall cost and the difference is not that huge (e.g. average wage is $63k vs $50k).

It’s more likely that US workers (in this sector) expect to get paid $100k to produce $20k of value (relative to other countries)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why the U.S. can't build icebreaking ships by wakawaka28 on Friday September 27, 2024 @11:21AM (#41671572)

Of course I'm not talking about averages. Average fast food workers make as much as engineers in some other countries. I'm not sure wages at the low-skill end are much lower in Europe, but certainly engineers seem to be paid less there. I assume that is similar across skilled professions. Comparing the US to Asia, yes the wage differences are across the board.

[ Parent | on HN ]