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Comment by gumballindie | Hacker News Reader

> when getting IT jobs without being fired from the newly joined company was a matter of luck.

Seems like rich countries are undergoing a similar phase as we speak. While it’s not that bad in the uk, the job market is dead compared to a few years back. However, despite being a rich country, overtime and work issues are not respected here either. Many permanent worker contracts had clauses for people to opt out from EU work hours directives.

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>Many permanent worker contracts had clauses for people to opt out from EU work hours directives.

So we can guess who rejoiced at the news of the UK leaving the EU.

The UK actually had a derogation on this even when it was in Europe; I think it was the _only_ European country to allow opt-outs for normal employees (most countries had an opt-out, but it was usually only for doctors and maybe some other emergency workers).

Do you have any links or sources for that? Would like to read more.

The UK has the worst anti-union laws in the G7. Has done pretty much since Thatcher. Crap workers rights in the UK are nothing new.

If you take out London. Britain now has the same GDP per capita as Romania. Right wing economic policies have consequences

Well if Britain would have still been in the EU then many of the brexit voting folks could have moved to Romania in search for a better life.

Not many people put their money where their mouth is. Romania is definitely not a popular place to move to from UK/EU.

It is among some south europeans, such as greek or portuguese. The few english people I met there were happy. Unironically, they were happy they earned a higher wage and could afford property. But that was in bucharest. The most portuguese I met were in Cluj Napoca. French students have also been known around expat circles. Reading stats, it looks like minimum wages are nearly six times higher than Russia's for instance, and average pay twice as much. Also seems to be a high income economy, with increasing numbers of non EU immigrants, from India and Vietnam.

Not that they are in the millions though. But nonetheless the state of affairs in the UK is extremely bad.

> If you take out London. Britain now has the same GDP per capita as Romania. Right wing economic policies have consequences

The UK's economic self-immolation under the Tories has been awful to watch, but it is still a far richer country than Romania.

Romania nominal GDP per capita 2021: 14,858 USD (2021, Google)

The poorest region in the UK is the North East with a nominal GDP per capita 2021 of 24,575 GBP = 31,210 USD.

Things are much closer at purchasing power parity, but then that really should be accounted for at the UK regional level too given housing is so much cheaper outside of London.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulle...

Nominal GDP is irrelevant, unless we want to impress the economically illiterate. Let’s face it - the UK is rich but the people are poor. A lot wanted east europeans out because it reminded them if what they are: poor.

Taking the IMF PPP GDP per capita figures for Romania are $41,029 and the UK are $56,836. So even using the PPP multiplier for the UK as a whole (which will underestimate for poorer regions with lower housing costs) that would put even the UK's poorest region on a par with Romania at $41,391.

(Nominal figures aren't completely useless. They reflect purchasing power for globally traded consumer goods.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)...

That’s still quite an issue, considering Romania is not a prime example of economic development. Puts things into perspective.

> The UK has the worst anti-union laws in the G7

These anti-union laws don’t stop rail unions to disrupt services and cancel trains every couple months.

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