Occupation

There are various type of jobs in this world.

What type of jobs would you like?
Whatever you are doing now might not be your favourite. There are a heap of reasons why you might be in a job. Be in for the wages or perks, or the nice working hours you can get.

I came across an article today regarding the most dangerous type of jobs and funny enough we talked about labour market and employment in Economics lesson.

What do you think is the most dangerous occupation in the world?

I could probably come out with a long list but this occupation would not be in my list:

Sulphur mining in an active volcano


It surprised me that one of the most dangerous job in the world actually really close to my hometown: Indonesia

Matches and white sugar are among the products made with sulphur hewn by hand from an active volcano in Indonesia.

The miners have little in the way of protective gear beyond a damp cloth to cover the nose and mouth. Gloves and gas masks are an unaffordable luxury for men paid $10 to $15 a day.

In the past 40 years, 74 miners have died after being overpowered by fumes that can suddenly swirl from fissures in the rock. The poisonous clouds are not steam, but hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide gases so concentrated they burn the eyes and throat, and can eventually dissolve the miners' teeth.

I find the notion of working close to acidic fume really frightening and dissolving teeth......... not very pleasant.... However no matter how hard the condition is... there is still people who are willing to work...:

"Our families worry when we come here. They say working here can shorten your life," says Hartomo, 34, a sulphur miner for 12 years.

"I do it to feed my wife and kid. No other job pays this well," adds Sulaiman.

Even putting their life at risk..they are willing to work in order to support their family....

Wage differential is prevalent in our economy. Footballers like Rooney actually earn more than the prime minister! Celebrity like Beyonce could earn up to $55 000 000 a year and yet enjoy her job and be safe and comfortable?

Lets say a job like sewage cleaner. Not risky (I dont think people die from inhaling too much smelly stuff can die right) but utterly disgusting. How much do you think they should be paid? In Singapore, rubbish collector is one of the highly paid job, obviously as a compensation for the work involved.

Should the miner be paid more than celebrity or the sewage cleaner? How much each should be paid differ greatly from each person's opinion Market forces is at work (demand and supply). However what is fairer might be different in our eyes.

Here's the link for the article if you would like to know the whole story about the sulpur miner:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12301421

Sharon