system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How is hiring private military contractors cheaper then using the regular forces yet everyone in a PMC makes three times the money as a soldier?

ELI5: How is hiring private military contractors cheaper then using the regular forces yet everyone in a PMC makes three times the money as a soldier?
gpt
When you have a full-time employee, you're on the hook for the long term.  In the case of the military, they hire people for 3-4 year contracts.  They have to pay for all the effort to recruit qualified soldiers, several months of training on a new soldier, full room & board, retirement pay, long-term health care, and tons of other things.

With a contractor, they're *only* paying for the time they're working.  You can bring somebody in *today* for a single job & then let them go with zero long-term financial commitments.  Yes, the cost per day is usually higher, but you're not paying for tomorrow.