As most people said, it's very subjective to your local economy, state min. wage laws (ours are higher than most), and competition. With today's labor market and unemployment at an all time low, it's almost impossible to keep good reliable workers for very long without paying a decent wage.
For just laborers (doesn't matter to me if they speak english, just that they are drug free, legal, and show up on time) I start at $7.50. They just do labor, at the instruction of the crew lead.
For a crew lead / Driver, I pay $8 - $9.50 DOE. And he must speak fluent english, be drug free, etc.
I start my foreman (#2 guy in the whole company, behind me) out at $10 and give him 90 day goals. If he meets those 90 day goals and all other work performance is good, he gets a 50 cent raise. That occurs every 90 days for the first year. So at the end of the first year he will make $12 an hour and should be well worth it.
One more thing on employees. Hire for character and reliability. You can train them to do everything else. Experience is overrated IMO. If I get an experienced one too, that can sometimes be a bonus, but I look for character first and foremost. having been screwed on mulitple occasions over the past few years, I find that it's the only way to go.
Jim Lewis
Lewis Landscape Services
http://www.lewislandscape.com
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Jim Lewis - Lewis Landscape Services
http://www.lewislandscape.com