the point of that statement was that they'll make less money than their palaun (note- no idea if this the correct term) peers. Comparing wages across countries can be pretty meaningless depending on the cost of living in respective countries. so maybe they make 3 times as much as compared to a chinese worker, but that means nothing if cost of food/clothing/housing is 3x's more expensive (or more). more importantly, that was not the point of the author at all...the point was that within the society of that island, they'll make less than the vast majority of the population.