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Comment by jimbob45 | Hacker News Reader

Ban, limits, and regulation won’t solve a country with too many worker protections. The EU simply can’t compete in the modern globalized world.

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The only answer isn't to sink to the lowest common denominator.

Ban or tax things from the "globalised" world that are just worker/societal/environmental protection arbitrage so they're competing for the EU market on a level playing field, then we'll see who can compete.

The EU is plenty big enough to be self-sufficient if it has to and shouldn't be afraid of risking this if abusive and exploitative companies from other places don't way to pay their way.

slashing worker protections would do what exactly?

Tbf it could reduce hiring friction and make it easier to take a chance on a riskier hire. Also makes it easier for workers to change jobs, notice periods here can be outright insane (3 months in some cases) and even as an employee I hated them.

It reduces risk for employers by piling it onto employees, who are also probably in a worse position to bear it.

Arguably this is the reason it should be borne by the government, not companies. This is one option https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexicurity

Is a 6 month probationary period not good enough to take a chance?

Longest I’ve seen in NL is 2 months, and it’s usually one. It’s common to string multiple “temporary” contracts together though.

It still increases switching cost. As a worker with a permanent contract I have to weigh new opportunities against losing that. And it has real impacts! Getting a mortgage is harder on a temp contract (doable in NL, basically impossible in Ireland)

Six months is the default probationary period in Germany, I can't remember ever seeing a job without that.

Temporary contracts are also a thing here, but if there's no objective reason for the contract to be temporary it will end after max. two years. According to Verdi ~1/13 contracts are temporary - not great, but could be much worse.

This seems like companies will struggle to eliminate roles they no longer need if the person filling it has been around more than 2 years.

The two year limit doesn't apply if the company has an objective reason for making the role temporary, e.g. external dependencies.

You pick it. From what I keep hearing, it's a cure-all. /s

free the "animal spirits"?

It's more simple than that; lack of investment due to various factors among which some are due to regulations, but also because the lower ROI you get in the USA due to corporate culture, higher cost in general (wages, energy, resources, manufacturing, etc.), slower economic growth and so on.

The EU isn’t a country, which is exactly why things are lacking vision and feel confusing. The EU is actually too decentralized and fragmented for its own good, contrary to what people whine about. We need more federalism, and an actual single market

Reduced worker protections -[somehow]-> better worker output. /s

the [somehow] is pretty clear: exploitative working conditions.

Check Swiss worker protections compared to France or Germany and then check their economy and tech companies there. Biggest Google office outside the US is in Switzerland.

It's not better worker output, it's faster movement and pivoting to rapid changing market conditions as a company, if you can get rid of slackers that abuse unions and worker protections to coast and do nothing.

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