In terms of money wages, au pairs are probably the lowest-paid workers in our economy. These are foreigners, usually young, European women, who work as nannies in American households.
There are about 20,000 of them in the United States, and they come here under a special program managed by the State Department.
Typically, they work 45 hours a week and they receive $1,800 a month in wages. That works out to less than $1 an hour. But they also get room and board, a chance to experience the American economy, and the opportunity to brush up on their English language skills.
Au pairs are an obvious solution to one big problem facing families: the high cost of childcare. Regulations permitting, they also could be a solution to another problem: the exorbitant cost of long-term care for seniors.
The market for au pairs illustrates a principle all students learn in Econ 101: In any…
