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Comment by rootusrootus | Hacker News Reader

> Most Europeans would be horrified by this concept

But they'd be really happy to earn the same level of income.

There are a few bubbles in the US,where people make way more than in Europe: SV, Some finance jobs on the Wall Street, maybe the oil industry. That's about it. Outside of those, it's more or less the same like in Europe, minus safety net and holiday. There are pros and cons on each side of the pond,no doubt, but in my opinion, the US is probably better suited for those with a very high income,while an average person is better off in Europe.

My company employs people in Europe, and across the US. The highest paid Europeans still make less than any of our associates in the midwest.

And we have unlimited vacation & sick time, so I'm not sure what advantage the 28 holiday thing is.

I completely agree that the U.S. is better suited for high income earners.

Advantage of 28 days is that company can't stop or fire you from using them. And will be punished for not allowing it.

Geez, I’m glad I live in a society where that’s not seen as necessary. I don’t need to invoke the power of the state to take a vacation.

You'd be surprised. For 99% of people such legislation is beneficial+ it came to be like that not without good reasons. Here,in the UK, I sometimes have to interact with our customers who can't get a few days off whenever they need and usually need to plan many months ahead, just because their employees can't organise work better. Imagine how much holiday these people would have,if such legislation is removed all together.

As always,it depends. I guess by mentioning midwest,you go with a notion that it's not a hcol area. The unlimited vacation & sick time probably also means a pretty decent white collar job.

It's difficult to compare with Europe,as one unit, as it's as varied as the US is. There are quite a few countries in Europe, where I'd happily take whatever your the associates are making at your firm and I'd have amazing,high quality life with very little to worry about. Alternatively, if I go to London,or Zurich, most salaries would feel like pocket change.

The other aspect,what in my opinion keeps tab on salaries in Europe, is the sheer volume of available quality candidates for jobs. There are tons of people with exceptional education. Not so long time ago, we used to have a running joke back home that why would anyone hire a cleaner without a masters degree?It also used to be a default option to only hire secretaries that only had double masters.

When speaking about SV tech salaries maybe. But for majority of people, most definitely not.

Even in the midwest, tech people earn a lot more in the US than in almost any European country. Sure, for the lower income levels it might be a different story, but I live in the HN bubble like everyone else here.

I don’t think that the people most affected by at-will employment necessarily earn more in the US

Just one a bit dated example I could find quickly. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-01-09/which-cou...

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