Wages don't increase based on the education level. People with better education will fill up the management positions and then the rest of the highly educated would have the low paying positions. Increase in wages is related to productivity and the relation between supply of labor from the population and demand from tourist companies. Labor unions can do so much in increasing wages for those employed, but it can't be that much. Un controlled immigration, in this case from Haiti, makes it easier on the companies as enough of them will cause a competition in labor that othersise would had never occured.
As for foreign management labor, the best situation for a company is to hire local given the wages will be according to local conditions. If the expertise for that position can't be hired locally, then the company is obligated to bring it from abroad. In order to get say someone with top notch hotel managerial experience from Spain, the compensation needs to be similar to what he would earn in Spain plus a bonus meant to compensate for the difficulties of adjusting to a developing country if all your life has been in a developed one. Otherwise, he would find a position somewhere in Europe where the pay is at his expectations or higher. What's the alternative? Let the company crumble for lack of expertise and eventually everyone will be out of a job?
This reminds me of what Abinader said regarding attending a re-opening of a resort in Bávaro after the initial pandemic shutdown. Some of the things that surprised him the most was seeing the employees crying once they re-opening event started. Must be nice to stare at a wall without a job in a developing country. I mean, those people didn't started to cry when it was obvious they were back to work for the sake of shedding some tears?
I have Dominican friends in Luperon who still hope the old resort will be reopened. The closure of the resort, once the main economic driver, affected the standard of living for many of the residents. Granted the majority of the jobs weren’t well paying, but local residents were glad to have them. The resort provided them with the ability to work in their hometown, put food on their tables, and keep a roof over their heads. For many, it wasn’t about higher wages. It was about having the opportunity to eke out a living in an area with very limited employment opportunities.
Luperon is surviving despite the resort closure. A few small business have cropped up here and there but nothing to match an economic engine like a resort. A few years ago, there were rumours Lifestyles was interested in it. Nothing came of it. The resort had one big detractor. The long narrow winding road made trips from the airport to the resort and back arduous, especially for tourists who arrived after long flights from European countries. The road from Imbert to Luperon has received a lot of upgrades over the past five years but it is still a dangerous drive especially at night. The resort has degraded to the point where it would require a massive infusion of cash to bring it back to life and compete with resorts in Playa Dorada and Punta Cana. Thats not going to happen in these economic times.
The separate accommodation structures are still in relatively good shape. They could easily be converted to condos similar to what’s being done in Puerto Plata Village. if the government was willing to offer an expedited seniors citizenship program and promote part of the old resort as a seniors retirement complex to North Americans, they might attract a few investors and revive the Luperon economy. Wishful thinking on my part but Luperon is one of my favourite DR campo towns. A great mix of locals, expat, sailors, and a laid back lifestyle I think seniors would love. If you build it, they will come.