They are, but typically wages are paid after working, rather than beforehand. So paying wages monthly rather than, for example, twice a month, amounts to an interest-free loan of two weeks' worth of wages by the employee to their employer, which to me seems unjust. (Thus the Biblical injunction to pay your workers before their sweat has dried.) This interest-free loan is particularly galling when we're experiencing 6% inflation per month, so your wages are worth 3% less when you get them.
Who gets paid before working? I haven't seen that at least here in the states I've worked in the US. Usually you work to the pay period and receive the prorated amount of days you worked. Sometimes you even have to work for two pay periods which can equate to misery if you haven't saved up. lol.
Edit: I reread your comment and understand now! Sorry about that.
We are often expected to pay companies either ahead of time or on-demand when purchasing goods and services.
When we sell our labor, we generally are forced to accept a payment scheme designed by our employer that results in us getting paid much later, with the employer holding our money in the meantime.
Companies that force "net payment terms" on their vendors are also an interesting setup. Some of them force crazy terms like "Net 90"...90 days after an invoice that can only be submitted once a month. So they are taking labor and paying out sometimes 120 days later.
Employees in good bargaining positions frequently receive signing bonuses, so they do get paid before working. Those aren't the people taking minimum-wage jobs.
You make some really good points. In fact, in any system that valued people over companies, you'd expect people to be paid for their services on demand, if not ahead of time.
