No economist, I, but this is what I think.
Wages are high because of supply and demand. A company needs to hire workers. The workers need to make enough money for their needs. If a worker cannot afford to buy things, then the companies that make the things can’t sell them. If the company can’t make the thing for a price a worker can afford, then it may go out of business. If it goes out of business, then there are more people who can’t afford to buy things. So the workers demand a certain rate of pay. Skilled workers are needed for many industries. Those industries must pay a competitive wage, or else the worker will work somewhere else. The cost of doing business is passed on to consumers, who are workers who must make a certain wage to be able to consume. In this country prices are such that wages must be higher than in some other countries, since the workers (being consumers) need to be able to buy the products they want or need. Frankly it reminds me of a giant Ponzi scheme, where businesses need a constantly expanding base of consumers.
Look at it this way: If a person cannot afford a new car, then there will be fewer used cars available. If fewer used cars are available, then the price of used cars goes up. Some people have to make enough to buy a new car so that the car makers can stay in business, so that people can buy new cars, so that people who can’t afford new cars can get used ones, so that people can sell their used cars to buy new ones which keeps the car makers in business.
In third-world countries the cost of living is less, so wages are lower.
I don’t know the figure for certain, but I think I’ve heard that a company pays about 50% more than the worker gets for such things as unemployment insurance, disability insurance, etc.