RE: “Australia’s minimum hourly wage is $15”
That’s Australian Dollar mind you. Yet, at today’s exchange rate of 0.9 USD/Aussie, that’s still $13.50 USD.
I found Australia to be very expensive ( I was there last month ). Partly it’s because of their Goods and Services Tax, and partly because our currency has depreciated a lot versus theirs.
What accounts for their hiring ? I would say the Commodities boom with China and India’s insatiable appetite for Iron Ore, Copper, Uranium, bauxite, lead, zinc, silver, uranium, industrial diamonds and mineral sands.
Australia has all these in abundance.
Plus, they never had the credit bubble that we suffered in the USA and their big 4 banks are some of the toughest and most financially stable in the world.