Pay Rate Patterns — Justification for Gig::PayRate
Overview
- Analysis period: March 2025 – March 2026
- Source: jodgig_2026_clean database (legacy system)
- Purpose: Justify the design decision to create a
Gig::PayRatemodel for dynamic wage rate resolution
The Template Explosion Problem
The legacy system has 2,416 total templates across 284 companies. Companies create duplicate templates as a workaround for not having a rate structure system. The naming patterns reveal the extent of the problem:
- 200 templates have "PH" (Public Holiday) in the name — dedicated holiday rate templates
- 137 templates have "Night" in the name — dedicated night shift rate templates
- 46 templates with "Weekday"/"Weekend" variants
The worst case is NTUC Fairprice (Hyper) with 103 templates, driven by role x time-period combinations. A proper rate card system would collapse this dramatically (e.g., 103 templates to approximately 20 roles x 1 rate card each).
Rate Override Analysis
Of 87,266 jobs created from templates in the last 12 months, 46% (40,139) had their rate overridden from the template default.
- Average override magnitude: $1.56
Override distribution:
| Range | Percentage |
|---|---|
| No override | 54.0% |
| -$0.01 to -$1.00 (downward) | 27.7% |
| +$0.01 to +$1.00 | 5.6% |
| +$2.01 to +$5.00 | 5.2% |
| +$1.01 to +$2.00 | 4.1% |
> +$5.01 | 1.9% |
The majority of overrides are downward, suggesting stale template rates or context-specific adjustments.
Companies with 100% override rate (have effectively abandoned their templates): Grocery Logistics, Social Place Singapore, Chin Lee Restaurant, Takada Kitchen.
Rate Complexity Per Company
Of 79 companies with >10 jobs in the last 12 months:
| Distinct Rates | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|
| Single rate | 8 | 10.1% |
| 2 rates | 9 | 11.4% |
| 3–5 rates | 35 | 44.3% |
| 6–10 rates | 23 | 29.1% |
>11 rates | 4 | 5.1% |
90% of active companies use multiple rates — a single rate per job is insufficient.
Top Companies by Rate Complexity
| Company | Templates | Distinct Rates | Min Rate | Max Rate | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant | 17 | 9 | $10 | $24 | $14 |
| Watami Food Service | 11 | 8 | $10.50 | $15 | $4.50 |
| Golden Moments Holding | 16 | 7 | $10 | $20 | $10 |
| JP Pepperdine Group | 10 | 7 | $8 | $12.50 | $4.50 |
| Gunpowder Concepts | 9 | 6 | $14 | $25 | $11 |
| NTUC Fairprice (Hyper) | 103 | 5 | $10 | $27.20 | $17.20 |
Night Shift Premium Patterns
Companies paying a night premium:
| Company | Day Rate | Night Rate | Premium | % Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery Logistics | $11.51 | $13.53 | +$2.02 | +17.5% |
| NTUC FP (South) | $11.92 | $13.34 | +$1.42 | +11.9% |
| NTUC FP (East) | $12.00 | $13.40 | +$1.40 | +11.6% |
| Four Points Sheraton | $13.69 | $15.07 | +$1.38 | +10.1% |
| The Robertson House | $15.46 | $16.75 | +$1.29 | +8.3% |
| All NTUC FP regions | ~$12 | ~$12.70–13.40 | +$0.50–1.40 | +4–12% |
Some companies show no night premium: McDonald's (-0.9%), OUE Restaurants (-2.5%) — they pay by role, not shift time.
Public Holiday Premium Patterns
The most striking finding — NTUC entities pay massive holiday premiums:
| Company | Normal Rate | Holiday Rate | Premium % |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTUC FP (Hyper) | $11.96 | $21.06 | +76.1% |
| NTUC FP (Northwest) | $11.99 | $20.81 | +73.6% |
| NTUC FP (Central East) | $11.84 | $20.14 | +70.2% |
| NTUC FP (North) | $11.90 | $19.31 | +62.3% |
| NTUC Foodfare | $14.81 | $19.09 | +28.9% |
| McDonald's | $13.49 | $15.80 | +17.1% |
Companies achieve this by creating dedicated "PH Rate" templates.
Moderate holiday premiums (5–15%): Good Idea Concepts, Studio M Hotel, Raffles Marina, Four Points Sheraton.
Template Naming as Workaround
The "template-as-rate-modifier" workaround pattern reveals how companies encode rate logic into template names:
| Company | Role | Weekday | Weekend | PH | Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Eateries | Service Crew | $8 | $14 | - | - |
| MSocial Hotel | Housekeeper | $12 | $14 | $15 | - |
| Watami Food Service | Service Crew | $11 | $13 | $15 | - |
| Crystal Jade | Kitchen Asst | $11 | $13 | $13 | - |
| ABR Holdings | Waiter/Waitress | $8 | $9 | - | - |
| Chang Cheng | Bento Packer | $7 (AM/PM) | $7 | - | $10 |
Design Implications
- 90% of companies need multiple rates — single rate per job is insufficient.
- The template explosion (200 PH templates, 137 Night templates) proves companies need a first-class rate structure.
- 46% override rate proves templates alone don't capture the full picture.
- Three primary dimensions drive rate variation: public holiday (largest impact), night shift (moderate), weekend (smaller).
- A rate card model (
Gig::PayRate) indexed by (day_type, time_type) would:- Collapse the template explosion
- Eliminate manual rate overrides for known patterns
- Auto-calculate the correct rate at shift creation
- Reduce mental load on busy hiring managers