Dear Editor,
I was genuinely taken aback by a claim in the recent Throne Speech stating that the average Antiguan earns $60,000 a year — or $5,000 a month. This pronouncement is easily debunked through simple observation and lived experience.
1. Government Salaries Undercut the Claim
The government is the country’s largest employer, yet very few civil servants take home even $3,000 a month. When I left the public sector as a degree holder making $3,650 a month, many colleagues considered my salary enviable. Several who had been in the service far longer were earning under $2,000.
Teachers — often among the better-paid government workers — earn approximately $2,500 if untrained. And even they frequently express dissatisfaction with their pay. Their repeated industrial actions over unpaid arrears are evidence that $5,000 salaries are far from the norm unless one is a principal.
2. Clear Signs of Financial Distress
The lived reality of many public servants contradicts any notion of widespread financial comfort:
- Many do not own cars.
- Many live with parents out of necessity, not preference.
- A drive across the island reveals numerous small wooden homes — a housing choice unlikely for someone earning $5,000 monthly.
- Every end-of-month payday panic speaks volumes: those making $5,000 would not be thrown into crisis if their salary was a few hours late.
Yes, people attend parties, but cutting back on occasional leisure is not going to transform their financial reality. Sometimes, the issue is not budgeting — it’s simply insufficient income.
3. Tourism Workers Earn Even Less
Outside of the government, the main employer is tourism. Yet wages in the hospitality sector are notoriously low.
Sandals, one of the largest employers, has been repeatedly criticized by Prime Minister Gaston Browne for not paying fair wages. He highlighted the company’s no-tipping policy and noted that hospitality pay is often a pittance. https://antiguanewsroom.com/
4. Even Better-Paid Sectors Don’t Support the Claim
In the financial sector, where salaries tend to be higher, lower-tier employees (who are the majority) still do not reach the $5,000 mark. Again, where is this $60,000 on average figure coming from?
5. Wider Social Indicators Tell the Truth
If Antiguans were truly earning $5,000 a month on average, the signs would be obvious:
- People would not be constantly struggling with unreliable water access.
- More households would be financially resilient, not living paycheck to paycheck.
- Social Security would not be in such dire financial straits if higher-income earners were contributing consistently.
These indicators paint a picture far removed from the rosy narrative being promoted.
6. Inflated Data Harms Us
False claims of national prosperity have real consequences. They make it harder for Antigua and Barbuda to access the international assistance that genuinely struggling countries rely on. By pushing misleading statistics, we create a narrative that does not reflect the lived experiences of ordinary citizens.
No doubt some individuals earn $5,000 or more monthly, but they are the exception — not the average. The evidence around us is clear: the math simply isn’t mathing.
Concerned
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