
The Best Places to Lose Your Job - robg
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4758
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tjic
I think the best place to lose your job is the US. The economy is dynamic,
people are raised with tales of startups and success, folks don't feel bound
by class or caste or good taste in not rocking the boat, there's not too much
credentialism, taxes are high (but not as high as elsewhere).

If you're forward thinking and interested in creating value, the best place on
earth to be unemployed is the place where it's easiest to launch a new firm
and have a chance of winning really really big.

~~~
umjames
I think the deeper question here is how eager are the recently-unemployed to
find another job and what is the key motivating factor to get another job? I
think it's highly related to how people in different countries view the world
of work.

I can't speak for other countries, but in the US, I think that most people
view work as a necessary evil. They don't view their jobs as opportunities to
make a self-satisfying difference. It's just a place to trade 40 hours (or
more) a week for a paycheck.

Most American workers feel overworked and constantly exhausted. When they lose
their jobs, depending on their financial situation, they don't rush to find
the next one. This is most likely because they use their period of
unemployment as a substitute for the rest they didn't get while working.

Perhaps if we improved the world of work, the world of unemployment would also
improve.

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msluyter
Sort of tangentially related to this is a rather fascinating look at Holland
from the vantage point of a US ex-pat:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html...](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?_r=1&em)

Lots of interesting notes on our contrasting social systems and cultures. One
of the main points that I took away from the article is that we tend to have
an falsely dichotomous view of european countries generally. They're either
lampooned as socialist nightmares where all of your money is confiscated by
the government and nobody wants to work, or utopias where the government cares
for all of your needs and you get 6 weeks vacation. the truth is rather more
complex.

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galactus
And they have more vacations :(

~~~
spoiledtechie
I have 4 weeks vacation and I live in the US.

It is possible when living in the states.

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spoiledtechie
I am not a fan of socialism. If you want it, go out and get it. Don't live off
other peoples hard work and thats just what people in these countries do.

Yes, people need support, but don't sit at home every day playing video games
at your parents house. I would expect everyone who is unemployed to fill out
at least 5 applications a day for jobs.

~~~
jimbokun
Switzerland:

"Despite the generosity of its benefits, the country maintains a low rate of
unemployed and underemployed workers."

vs. France:

"Unfortunately, because the French workforce is so cushy, it can be a very
tough club to join. France has astronomically high rates of unemployment among
youths -- up to 40 percent in some areas -- who’ve never held jobs and
therefore do not qualify for benefits."

and Luxembourg:

"The government of Luxembourg, however, has recently grown fed up with wastrel
youths applying for unemployment benefits while still living with their
parents."

So, is this just a cultural difference, or can a government provide generous
benefits while still incentivizing full employment? The Luxembourg solution:

"Anyone applying for social benefits now has to take minimum-wage government
jobs or attend subsidized vocational training instead."

seems to make sense. Economic support, but with a requirement to work or get
training of some sort. One trick is for the government to successfully predict
which vocations will actually be in demand. Or just let the unemployed decide
what to train in, with a flat cash amount to spend? You would still need
checks to prevent abuse.

Of course the big Hacker News question: is any or all of this compatible with
entrepreneurship? Should a government allow people to start a business venture
while collecting benefits, instead of accepting the first employment
opportunity?

~~~
eru
Basic income (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income>) may be compatible
with entrepreneurship.

~~~
jimbokun
Interesting to see Milton Friedman cited as an advocate of Basic Income. I
think he championed the Earned Income Tax Credit, maybe they are referring to
that?

~~~
eru
As far as I know Earned Income Tax Credit is one possible implementation of
Basic Income.

