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Is there a word that describes what someone is worth, economically?

For example, if Joe has gone to school for five years and has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, there is a certain minimum value on him. He can easily make more than $15/hour, so that would mean that he is minimally worth $15/hour.

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Is the word "cost" unsuitable? – prash Jan 17 at 2:54
I was thinking more of "self minimum wage", but when you say "cost", wouldn't that be from the perspective of an employer? – zzatkin Jan 17 at 2:55
It's Joe's floccinaucinihilipilification value? – coleopterist Jan 17 at 3:43

2 Answers

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The term "net worth" in economics means a person's total balance of assets, although you're probably looking for something more akin to a person's "market price".

I suppose you could use "base wage" or "worth of labour" to describe what you're talking about.

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"Base wage" sounds good. Thanks! – zzatkin Jan 17 at 3:36
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You could use the term market rate. This applies to a wide variety of valuable things, not just people.

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