Hiring workers can be profitable, but only if you understand the economics behind production.
Simply hiring more workers doesn't guarantee higher profits. In fact, paying excessive wages can result in losses.
1. Understanding Worker Profitability
When you hire a worker, you pay them based on the Production Points (PP) they generate.
However, your company's production bonuses can increase the actual output you receive without increasing the worker's base wage.
This is where the opportunity for profit comes from.
The basic formula is:
Profit = (Base PP × Production Bonus Multiplier × Selling Price) − (Base PP × Wage per PP)
For example, assume:
- Worker produces 30 PP.
- Wage is 0.136 coins per PP.
- Product sells for 0.081 coins per unit.
- Total production bonus is 70%.
Your calculations would be:
Wage cost: 30 × 0.136 = 4.08 coins
Actual production: 30 × 1.70 = 51 units
Revenue: 51 × 0.081 = 4.131 coins
Profit: 4.131 − 4.08 = 0.051 coins per work session.
Although the profit margin is small, the worker is technically profitable.
This simplified example assumes one unit per PP and excludes any additional selling costs.
2. Find Your Maximum Profitable Wage
Before hiring, calculate the maximum wage your company can afford.
Maximum wage per PP = Selling Price × (1 + Total Production Bonus)
For example:
Selling price = 0.081 coins
Production bonus = 70%
Maximum wage = 0.081 × 1.70 = 0.1377 coins/PP
Paying above this amount results in a loss under these assumptions.
Ideally, offer a wage below your break-even point to protect yourself against price fluctuations.
3. Should You Upgrade the Automated Engine?
Yes, upgrading the Automated Engine is generally a better early investment than hiring workers.
The Automated Engine produces PP continuously without worker wages. Once you've paid the upgrade cost, additional production doesn't require labour payments.
However, upgrading isn't automatically the best investment at every level.
Calculate the payback period:
Payback period = Upgrade Cost ÷ Additional Daily Profit
For example, if an upgrade costs 100 coins and generates an additional 2 coins in daily profit, the payback period is 50 days.
Compare that with building another company or upgrading a different engine. The best investment is usually the one offering the strongest return for your available resources and investment horizon.
4. How to Maximise Worker Profits
Focus on companies with strong regional production bonuses and products with favourable market prices.
Keep workers long enough to benefit from fidelity bonuses, which can reach 10%.
Avoid setting wages based purely on what competing companies offer. Your maximum affordable wage depends on your own production bonuses and the product's market value.
Also, monitor storage capacity. Once storage is full, production stops until space is cleared.
5. The Best Strategy
For newer players, prioritise building companies and upgrading Automated Engines before committing significant funds to wages.
Once your passive production is established, consider hiring workers in companies where your production bonuses create a sufficient margin.
Don't confuse revenue with profit. A worker generating large amounts of production can still lose money if their wage exceeds the value of the output.
Final takeaway: Automated Engines are generally the foundation of a profitable economy. Workers should be treated as an additional investment, justified by positive margins and sufficient demand for the products they generate.
The goal isn't to maximise the number of workers. It's to maximise your net profit.