全球最低工资排行：澳洲公民最幸福

The country has the most generous national minimum wage in the developed world, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
经济合作发展组织的一份报告显示，澳大利亚在发达国家中享有最高的国家最低工资。

The report ranked 27 countries that have laws setting a nationwide minimum rate of pay.
这份报告给27个设有国家最低工资的国家作了排序。

Australia's minimum wage workers -- aged 21 and over -- make 15.96 Australian dollars per hour. After tax and other deductions, that's equivalent to $9.54, once the difference in the cost of living is taken into account.
澳大利亚最低工资的工人年纪在21岁及以上，每小时挣15.96澳元。去除税和其他扣款，要是把生活成本差异考虑进去的话，相当于9.54美元。

"They have a high minimum wage. And interestingly they have a low tax burden," said Herwig Immervoll, the author of the OECD report. "Australians recognize that supporting low wage earners through the tax system is important."
“他们的最低工资很高，有意思的是，他们的税收负担很轻，”经合组织报告的作者赫尔维·易马福说道。“澳大利亚人意识到通过税务系统支持低薪工人很重要。”

Other countries have set higher hourly rates but they also tax minimum wage workers more, leaving them with less in their pockets.
其他国家定了较高的单位小时工资，但他们对持最低薪水的工人的税收也高，因而工人们口袋也比较干瘪。

The U.S. ranked 11th on the list, with a federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. That leaves workers with take-home pay of $6.26 per hour.
美国在排行榜上位居11名，联邦最低时薪是7.25美元，即税后到手时薪为6.26美元。

However, the U.S. would move up the rankings if state minimum wage rules were factored into the equation. Roughly half of U.S. states have rules ensuring workers are paid more than the federal minimum, Immervoll said.
不过，要是美国综合考虑国家最低工资规则各种因素的话，美国的排名还是会提升的。美国大约有半数州规定要确保工人的收入高于联邦最低收入，易马福说道。

The OECD report shows that a single Australian minimum wage worker with two kids could work just six hours per week to lift themselves above the poverty line, because they would also receive state benefits.
经合组织报告显示，带俩娃、拿最低工资的单身澳洲人每周只需工作六小时就可以脱离贫困线，因为他们同时还享受国家福利。

In the U.S., the same worker would have to clock in 50 hours per week to escape poverty. In the Czech Republic, it would take 79 hours of work per week.
在美国，同一个工人得每周打卡上班满50小时才能逃脱贫困水平。在捷克，同样情况每星期得工作79小时才行。

Eight countries, including Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, were not included in the report because their governments do not set national rules on minimum pay. Many of them have strong labor unions and established arrangements for collective bargaining, which means governments don't have to step in.
有八个国家，包括芬兰、瑞典还有瑞士没有纳入报告，因为其政府没有设定国家最低工资规则。这其中多数国家的工会强劲，并且会安排劳资双方集体谈判,也就是说政府不必就此问题介入。

Here are the top five countries for hourly minimum wages, based on the latest OECD data from 2013:
如下是经合组织2013年所采集的五大最高时薪国家的数据：

1. Australia - $9.54
澳大利亚9.54美元

2. Luxembourg - $9.24
卢森堡9.24美元

3. Belgium - $8.57
比利时8.57美元

4. Ireland - $8.46
爱尔兰8.46美元

5. France - $8.24
法国8.24美元

Countries with the lowest take-home minimum wages include Latvia, Chile and Mexico, which is bottom of the list with a rate of about $1 per hour.
税后实得工资最低的国加有拉脱维亚、智利和墨西哥，排名最末的工资每小时仅1美元。