Minnesota Man Stumbles Across Job Ad Offering the Same Salary He Earned 14 Years Ago
Minnesota-based TikToker @non1m0uz3 came across a job listing for the same company he worked for 14 years ago and it's still offering the same pay.
May 5 2023, Updated 4:26 p.m. ET
All throughout 2022 and well into 2023, we've heard about employers struggling to fill positions and job seekers unable to find jobs. And thanks to a Minnesota man's TikTok video, we now know at least one factor fueling this vicious cycle — low wages.
In the video, the job seeker reveals to viewers that he came across an ad for the same job he held 14 years ago and it offered the exact same pay.
Shocked by the discovery, TikTokers took to the comments section to unload their thoughts and frustrations. Needless to say, most of them weren't impressed. Keep reading for all the details.
TikToker says the company he worked for 14 years ago is still offering the same job and pay.
In the video, the TikTok user @non1mOuz3 says that while looking for a job, he came across a listing for a data entry specialist position in Saint Paul, Minn. In terms of salary, the company was offering between $15 and $16 an hour. What’s more, he realized he had worked that position for the same company beginning in January 2009 and received the same pay!
While it’s evident inflation and other issues are impacting some employers’ ability to offer competitive wages, times and the cost of living have changed dramatically since 2009. And we’re quite certain a person can't live off the same salary they were earning in 2009 now in 2023.
After the big reveal, the TikTok user went on to attribute low pay as the reason why “nobody wants to work.” The video, which has garnered over 309,000 views and counting, also received several comments. One TikTok user wrote, “I do this for 22/hr, and I feel extremely underpaid.” Another commented, “even my local McDonald's is up to like $18 by now.”
Another viewer added, “Even at $25 it doesn't work people are still living paycheck to paycheck. You have to reach $35 in order to be a semi-comfortable.”
Although the data entry specialist job is offering more than minimum wage, the company that posted it appears to be a few dollars short of the average hourly pay for a data entry job in the U.S.
As of March 2023, data entry jobs pay, on average, about $20.09 an hour, according to ZipRecruiter. That equates to $41,780 annually, or $3,482 per month, $803 per week, or $160.69 per day.
If you want to live comfortably in the U.S., consider these factors.
In order to determine just how much you need to earn per hour to live comfortably in the U.S., you’ll need to consider the state and county where you live. The Massachusetts Institute of Tech (MIT) living wage calculator breaks down just how much you need to earn per hour (with and without children) to support yourself and your family.
We used the MIT living wage calculator to determine whether the data entry job mentioned in the viral TikTok video was offering enough for a person to make a living wage. Here’s what we found. As an adult living (with no children) in Saint Paul, you need to earn at least $18.74 per hour to make a living wage. And if you have one child, the hourly rate is then bumped up to $37 per hour.
If a single person with no kids were to accept that job, they would be earning less than a living wage.
Although finding a job that will pay you your desired salary may be difficult these days, consider researching which states pay someone in your career field the highest. You can then use that information to narrow down where it would be best to apply for a job.