# LinkedIn Post #13: The Real Cost of "Affordable" Labour Hire
*Herald | 26 Feb 2026 | STATUS: DRAFT — Needs Michael's approval*
*Deploy: When Michael signals go*

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## Post

I looked up what construction labour hire platforms charge in 2026.

Here's what I found:

A general labourer costs you $45-65 per hour through a hiring app. The worker gets $35-45 of that. The platform keeps the rest. Every hour. Every shift. Every week.

Let's do the maths on a single labourer working 40 hours a week for 6 months:

Platform margin: ~$15/hr × 40hrs × 26 weeks = $15,600

That's one worker. One role. Half a year.

Run a crew of five? That's $78,000 in margins. In six months.

They call it "affordable." They call it "no hidden fees." The margin's not hidden — it's just baked into every single hour on your invoice.

Here's what we charge at RateRight:

$50.

Not $50 per hour. Not $50 per week. $50 per hire. Once. Done.

The worker keeps 100% of their rate. You know exactly what you're paying. There's no margin because we don't employ the worker — you hire them directly.

$15,600 vs $50. For the same labourer. On the same site. Doing the same work.

That's not a marketplace gap. That's a canyon.

rateright.com.au 🧾

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## Notes
- Uses Yakka's own published 2026 rates without naming them
- The maths is the argument — scales from 1 worker to a crew
- "Canyon" line is the hook for shares
- Pairs with Post #12 (structural model difference) — this one is pure numbers
- Sources: Yakka Labour 2026 Salary Guide (general labourer bill rate $45-65/hr, base pay $35-45/hr)
- ⚠️ Pricing flag: task mentions "$0 flat fee" — content uses $50 as per live website. Needs Michael confirmation.
- Michael Test: ✅ Real numbers. Simple maths anyone can follow. "Doing the maths" is Michael's move.