In Tropico 4, why should I pay my ministers more than the average unskilled wage (if anything)? These are appointed individuals; they don't choose to work so they won't wander off to a better paying job. Healthcare is free, so it won't cause them to die quicker because of poor health because they got sick; and there's nothing wrong with living in a shack other than it making them miserable. All that will happen is the job quality will be significantly lowered, and they'll probably be a bit on the unhappy(er) side.
What are the downsides to this strategy? Does wage and/or job quality affect ministers' performance at all?
Best Answer
If you underpay your ministers, they will be less happy. With low wages, the job quality of your ministry positions will be low, which means anyone appointed to those positions will be less happy. Since your citizens will only spend 1/3 of their wages on rent, low wages mean they can only afford housing with low rent. If the only housing ministers can afford is low-quality housing (such as shacks), they will be less happy.
Even though unhappy ministers might not leave their jobs, unhappy citizens can do other things you won't like, such as vote against you.