I moved to Germany from the US in 2001, and became a citizen in 2016. Somebody asked me recently if I'd ever consider moving back to the States. I laughed out loud.
Das liegt entweder daran, dass du dich von den positiven Seiten der USA (Propaganda?) blenden lässt oder dass du dich im Anti-Intellektualismus pudelwohl fühlst. Wenn das Zweite zutrifft: immer fleißig sparen!
Unless you're wealthy and seeking lower taxes, there is no reason to move to the USA. The reason why Americans work past retirement age and skip taking their unpaid vacations is because there is no social safety net in the USA and roughly 30% of Americans have to keep working to pay off their medical debt. Granted, USA leads the western world in productivity because of this but that's because no other westernized country wants to participate in this race to the bottom.
When the US train workers wanted to strike for 7 sick days 🤯 a while ago, the government stopped it. A little later there was the train disaster in Ohio.
The workers didn't get 7 sick days. What they got was 4 paid sick days and the option of taking 3 more paid sick days from personal days. The "equipment malfunction" at Ohio was caused by an over heated wheel bearing. The subsequent investigation revealed that about 25% of the cars (rolling stock) had federal defective conditions. Not impressive on both counts. You can draw your own conclusions as you wish but to try and draw the inference that the strike in some fashion caused the railway companies failure to maintain rolling stock seems unsupported
@@RationalistRebel understaffing does have consequences you cant blame the workers for.... not for lack of trying of course. who would have thought. I know so many business leaders world wide (not just u.s. , i am working for such a boss in the european nordics) who cant fathom any negative consequences from running the business on skeleton crews forever.
Nobody in America wants European socialism. Who wants month of paid vacation when you can work without it? Who needs holiday off? Healthcare shouldn’t be for everyone, only for those who can pay. Work is virtue, we should have at least two jobs unless you’re ceo. Then it’s a different story - you can enjoy reaching top of the hierarchy.
@@wriptag3 We have data. Only 22% of Americans trust the government. Almost the entire population of the US shows distrust in the government and its institutions. If you want USA to have what Europe does, constant dumping on it will probably achieve more of the opposite. People are more willing to pay more into something they trust and love. Large amounts of distrust make voters more susceptible to simple right wing solutions from a strong man. Guys I hate to point this out but stuff like this is part of the problem.
Amazon didn't only pressure employees to not unionize, they stated that any employee promoting a union, even if they simply had a piece of paper with union info on it, they would be immediately fired. The problem is, as usual, the monetary penalties for labor law violations (or any other crime) committed by a corporation is so small, it becomes a simple expense to do business.
If American employers state that they can't thrive with more worker rights they acknowledge that they are so bad at leading a company that it only functions with ripping off the employees. Or that they just want too many Ferraris in their garages. Which can be seen with the McDonalds comparisons between the USA and Denmark. Danish employees are so much better of than their US colleagues but still McDonalds Denmark makes profits even with higher taxes. So what do they need all these additional profits for ?
Excess profits land in the pockets of companies or their owners and are saved. In other words, they are taken out of the circulation of money and henceforth do neither contribute to investment in infrastructure or productive capital, nor are available for making the lives of everybody else better. They just make the rich richer. The only politician in the US, who grasped this is Bernie Sanders. The best president you guys never voted into office.
@@usa.mom.in.germany Aly, as i mentioned before, you should do a colab with Ashton from Freiburg. I bet she also has some tips on video editing and cutting.
I have been preaching this for YEARS... corporations in North America have done an incredible job convincing the public that they should be grateful to have jobs at all, and that unions are evil, when unions are why we have even the mediocre benefits we have now. They convince people that a single worker has as much negotiating power as an entire corporation which has many people in it, which is patently absurd, but gets then to avoid unionising. I had a friend who was convinced we have a 40 hour five day work week because "employers wanted to keep workers happy." I keep reminding them of the Haymarket Riots in 1886 Chicago that literally started the world-wide labour movement, and that everywhere but in Canada, US and South Africa, Labour Day is May 1 (the day of the riots) to commemorate them... but the US intentionally moved it to first Monday in September to break the connection. And worse, in Canada and the US, we "celebrate" Labour Day by giving management and middle class workers the day off so they can be waited on by low wage workers - *who don't get the day off*.
Great content, it is my first view of your channel. As a German living and working in the US for almost 30 years, I second every single aspect of your analysis. This is why US has these centi-billinairs. Something is out of balance.
I was an at-will employee and my employer fired me for complaining about the systemic abuse of workers which is legal in the US as long as the employer’s abuse isn’t directed towards any protected group (Blacks, women, etc.). However, at-will employment also allows employers to discriminate against employees by protecting employers’ right to fire anyone at any time for no reason whatsoever.
wait... so if youre a woman you part of a "protected group" and if you are a pale male with his summer ale you are basically screwed? did i get that right? And people still wonder how equality doesnt happen? what sane business would even hire ladies if he could as well abuse some male workdonkeys with less repercussions...
@@LMB222 nice way to say you are ill informed or just forgot to take your meds. Most of Europe isn't at will at all, or you don't know what 'at will' means in the context of workers contracts. The vast majority of EU countries for instance have very good workers rights baked into their laws.
The other scam in America is salary base jobs where you don't get paid by the hour but by a fixed salary. People in salary based jobs tend to work 50 hours per week and often have to work on some weekends. I avoid salary base jobs
So there is no overtime pay? In germany in a salary based job if I work significantly more than my contract states I get either compensation pay for overtime (which is higher €/hour than the normal work hours due to legislation) or I get extra payed time of. (Most employers of course chose the 2nd option as it is technically cheaper)
@@Jothaka There is a similar law in the US called the FLSA. Workers have to be compensated if overtime is excessive. In both countries, these laws are not always enforced. Companies cut corners sometimes.
I'm in a salaried job in Australia and I never work unpaid overtime. I am in government though. But salaried jobs are normal here for full time white collar workers.
@@dan_kay Not really. My job in Germany abuses the salary option. You get overtime and often it isn't compensated with money. They waste your time and screw up your plans and then you get a different time off. There is no upward mobility. I got one raise in 8 years.
"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin What you said at the start is incredibly important IMO. Moving to live in a different country gives you the perspective to judge your own country. Too many people miss out on that opportunity.
The American dream came from a book near the end of great depression by James Truslow Adams. It described a meritocratic order in which people regardless of background were rewarded for what they can bring to society. It was not something that has ever been achieved. Americans were supposed to work towards it. Somehow it turned into a selfish idea, and people lost the meaning. It's gone because people don't respect their own society and only think about what the government should be giving to them.
@@Boris80bthe government greedy ! Is a business owner greedy when there net profit fallen no ! 3000 franchise closed in australia the business owners too
A friend of mine was offered a job at Evans&Sutherland and declined it in favour of Sky-Skan. The difference being Sky-Skan is German and E&S are situated in the USA. Which proves your point.
Hi im from Denmark, love your vids and your " shorts" we need to lift the american propaganda smokescreen, I keep saying that the work " situation" in America is modern day slavery, you are totally at the mercy of your employer...
If you work for a small company it's nearly the same thing here. Also, Arbeitszeugnis. In Germany getting fired means the employers opinion also has control over your future.
Retired printing press op. Wish more people in US would watch and learn from this. "We the people" continue to passively accept and vote for a chump deal. Blue and Purple states and US territories should consider joining Germany, Canada, Mexico, or Denmark. Us working folks would be getting a better deal.
My spouse has worked himself into mental health disaster with his job, but he's making decent money because of it. He works 144hrs a pay period and is exhausted. He cant change careers because all the job board postings are fake or want unicorns for low pay. Its a disaster and we want out so bad.
I grew up an army brat and I was also stationed there from 92 to 96 my first wife and my momma are German….she’s right on point…a great society that loves Americans for our ingenuity and dedication to service…I graduated from high school on an Army base and the teachers there were excellent it’s a multi racial multi social economic school were the student is a dependent of a US service member or American Civilian worker…back then on the weekdays things close at dark or about 7pm except for the guest houses or what you call pubs…they’re everywhere and basically every city or region in remote areas have their own type of beer so people don’t drive they take the train or walk…even so violence and capital crimes are virtually non existent…it’s a very safe place….when I was young there are many things to do and see around Europe and Germany is right in the middle…if you like winter sports or hiking in the summer…the world was my oyster so I saw everything from the North Sea to Switzerland to the tower of Pisa….never had an issue I’m mixed race black and German so I fit right in there….im old now I was involved in Special Operations for some 18 years so I can just enjoy the memories when I could travel…Believe me there’s so much culture religious history great food and even better people!!!!
@@minecraftfox4384don't like the message and hence attack the messenger? It's true, Germany is very safe, located in the centre of Europe and you don't need much money to travel there. Back in the 90ies I hitchhiked through Scotland, Denmark and Switzerland with my boyfriend. From age 16 to 28 I used to take the night train between Rome and Munich on my own, crossing Austria and never had any troubles. I travelled alone in Southern Italy as a young, blond, German girl. Europe is much safer than the US.
Small correction, the 20 days paid anual leave days are technically not german law but European law: Under the EU Working Time Directive, all workers in EU member states are entitled to at least 4 weeks (20 days) of paid annual leave per year.
It can take years for a group of US employees to unionize.....But often, even after a union is formed, management can get away with stalling negotiations for years more.
In the US, we’re rivals, first and foremost, in a lifelong competition for our own front doors. We’re living proof that even the pious can lose sight of compassion and fairness in the pursuit of easy money.
I never really understood why I had to pay a big part of my salary to mandatory insurances. I saw it as lost money. But now, 12 years after a stroke, i still can’t work, i can still afford life. But American told me I’m socialist or something lol
Dutchie here, the fact that the concept of "sick leave" exists is hilarious to me. E: Also funny that you call it "job protection" while we call it "workers rights".
I worked for several years for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, frequently doing the surveys that poroduced the statisics you cited at 2:33. I got accrued vacation time, btw. (Wow, is this circular!)
Thank you for a well structured, extensively researched, and generally objective outline look at this subject. My experience (six yrs + four yrs in US) as a well paid professional working in four countries over my 50 yr career is similar to yours. Interestingly, even your terms define you are American. To those who have worked elsewhere, what you call benefits, are simply considered rights, for example.
Would be interesting to know how many Americans actually have a full time contract. People may work more than 40 hours weekly but if their employer considers this only as a 90% job then these employees are not eligible for benefits like paid vacation.
For someone who only knows English, French, and Italian, please tell me about your experience practicing German, and is Hochdeutsch useful in Bavaria, please, Allie? Danke!
Straight off you don't compare self employment where you set the standards as the employer and can't blame someone else for the shortcomings of the deal!
In 2014, VW wanted a works council at its plant in the USA. There were quite a few difficulties, as a union had to step in first and even employees and local politicians opposed it. "Flexible working hours" - this system can also cause problems in Germany. These "flexible times" are often used to extend business hours, which then leads to employees working in shifts, which they often cannot really choose, as not many people like to work particularly early or particularly long hours. And I am not talking about the typical shift jobs here, but rather the commercial sector.
The unlimited pto isnt a problem because it’s rare. It’s a problem because employers aren’t honest about how much they expect making it a marketing gimmick
I wonder how the unions in Germany are organized. In the Netherlands all companies fall automatically under the negotiation results the unions have the employers. So a company isn’t able to get the unions banned, because a unions is for all people in the country who work in the part of the labor market covered by the union.
@@minecraftfox4384then you need to understand the concept first. Even most employers in Germany/Europe see advantages in an organized workforce with clear rules how to deal with each other for win-win results.
While it's true that US employers can fire workers for any reason except discrimination against a protected class or retaliation for exercise of rights, that is not a result of the "at will" laws in certain states. "At will" laws only prevent workers from compulsory union membership or union dues paying.
That's just totally false. I had a moment of second-guessing myself, so I looked it up. You are wrong. At-will employment means a worker can be terminated at any time, for any reason. A worker can also quit without notice, and cannot be punished for doing so. "Right to work" is what you are thinking of. Right to work means you don't HAVE to join the union to get the job.
If you are employed as a professor on an American campus, what benefits do you have then? German industries especially car manufacturers seem to have a hard time right now, many think that the cars are too expensive. How does this fit in with the obvious additional costs of the systems you advocate for?
The cars are too expensive for what they offer, but they still pay 20-30% higher salaries than manufacturers on average. And if you want to compare professors, then German professors are kind payed well, effectively unfirable except for being sentenced for a crime and get exceptionally high pensions and premium health insurance. Since professors in the US still can be fired, this already is a significant drawback...
So true... Don't know why US workers do not try to change their work-life balance and horrible working conditions by electing different politicians or joining unions.
To sum it up for healthcare and employees' rights: The USA today is there where Germany was roughly around 1850. So 175 years ago. Back then there were literally bloody battles on the streets of 'Germany' when workers clashed with government soldiers over exploitative measures taken by big industrialists. Right during those times a certain well-known German philosopher who is now utterly reviled in the USA was the author of his manifesto "Das Kapital" / "the Capital". The name of this philosopher was Karl Marx. He believed that nearly all socio-economic circumstances could be described by the distribution of wealth and profit. Or rather their disproportionate distribution between poor and rich. However, and that is one BIG caveat, he believed it takes massive changes in human nature towards less greed and avarice, and more community based thinking. "To each according to their needs, from each according to their abilities." Socialism as per Marx and Engels is the abolishment of all private ownership, while still retaining some forms of capitalistic vestiges like currency and money while all economic and productive planning is supposed to be centralized to maintain better administrative control over limited resources. The means of production are supposed to be owned by all, not by companies owned by a board of directors and shareholders. The motive of companies/collectives should not be the maximization of profit but to provide the maximum benefit of said collective to all. All of this demands a complete restructuring of human society along idealistic lines of putting self-interest below the interest of the common good. And that's where the whole concept of Marxism/Communism fell apart. Marx and Engels realized that such changes of human nature would require quite rigorous societal control by something similar to a dictatorship of the proletariat. They noticed that the forces behind capitalism were strongly aligned with keeping the status quo intact. Rich became richer, thus more powerful; the poor became poorer and disenfranchised. The wealth gap would grow until the poor realized that the only way to escape their situation would be to violently overthrow those that kept them in check. Fast forward about 30 years to the times of the ultra-Monarchist Otto von Bismarck. He had personally witnessed a few of those street battles, and was deathly afraid of the predicted revolution of Marxism/Communists/Socialists. He knew for certain that Marx and Engels had written their manifesto with one particular nation conglomerate in mind: Germany. Even though Germany as a whole didn't even exist back then. But the social structure as well as the class struggles described by Marx were eerily familiar to Bismarck. So this shrewed political genius analyzed what could be done to effectively neuter the political message of the socialist movement. He decided to give the common worker basically all the benefits promised by the ideals of Marxism but prevent the destruction of private ownership. Bismarck established mandatory worker protections like defining limited hours per week, minimum vacation days, maximum hours per day, sick leave, healthcare insurances, pension funds. The whole shebang. Just to stifle the socialist movement enough to concede that private ownership might not be the bad thing described. Especially as workers had fought hard for their own tiny houses, so they didn't want to give up that ownership to a faceless board of political leaders anyways. And that plan worked. The German Socialist movement mellowed down, became Social Democrats, and didn't call for the dissolution of traditional government structures anymore. The Social Democrats now participated in the political landscape instead of fighting it. Sure, there were still some heated arguments about exploitative measures, and how to curb those excesses. But the Socialists supporters were more or less happy, as they had achieved a higher standard of living than almost any other workers in Europe at the time. And they could point to the legal framework that actually protected them, instead of being a political bandaid that didn't fix anything. So yeah, the Socialist movement was more or less happy with the new status quo, and Bismarck the old schemer had prevented a socialist revolution in his newly formed Germany. Talk about real-world "Game of Thrones" qualities here.
Sweden has 6 months sick leave and if you are really sick 1 year and at minimum 60% pay , after that you can get disability which has no end this is income based and is diffrent from social security which is normally lower.
Why do they want to work in the US then? Sadly, it is now becoming harder than ever. I heard they stopped a couple with a broken taillight, saw that their visas had expired a long time ago, and they got deported.
What Americans notoriously are getting wrong is the concept of "Socialism". Socialism is the stage of development preceding communism that aims at social or state ownership of the means of production and a fair distribution of goods to all members of the community. In other words: The form of state we Germans had in East Germany before the re-unification. Neither in today's Germany, nor in any other Western Europe county, Socialism exists. The form of state we have in Germany is called a "Social Market Economy" (a milder form of capitalism than in the US, where the individual still is valued). Hence, we keep an eye on upholding minimum standards for each citizen to make life worth living. This is what the US lacks, as there the national goal is not a decent life for all, but the accumulation of wealth of the few, who are regarded as the "heroes" who successfully won the lottery of the American dream. The accompanying narrative is, that you can be a winner if you just work hard. Which is an illusion, as the system ensures you will stay at your level in society. The sad truth - as in Germany - is, that the super rich usually did not earn their wealth by hard work. Living in a more SOCIAL society in Germany, however, allows for a better life for everybody, as it shields ordinary people from being ripped off too badly by an exaggerated capitalistic system.
I've noticed an unusual number of comments weirdly focusing on the phrase "dream job." Particularly, some seemed concerned about the definition, can it be measured, and thus how can the concept be compared across countries and cultures? I think this is a pointless endeavor for two reasons. 1) The term does not translate to both cultures, necessarily and, 2) It is irrelevant to the argument being made in the video which is: Working class people in Germany have a better "quality of life" than their counterparts in the USA. She demonstrates this by noting factors like worker's rights, paid time off, maternity leave, union protections, and job stability. The term "dream job" is irrelevant to this discussion in so far as it is a subjective term that cannot be used to analyze an objective situation because it is too variable to have meaningful significance.
States that the Term Dream Jobs is not a valid Term to be used in the main Argument made her. Proceeds with their own words explaining why the Term is not only valid but pretty much the Definition of the Argumentation. Either Sarcasm is strong with you or .......... Be healthy.
I'm a German living in the US. And what it comes down to is really that Americans aren't pragmatic enough to give up their big pick up trucks and big houses in change for a more socialized system. You need to be pragmatic. We don't live in big houses in Germany or own 2 big cars and have a TV in each room. Consumerism in the US is insane and it's in part possible because you can make a shit ton of money here in the US which you can't in Germany. If you want a system like we have in Germany, corporations need to be willing to give up profits and employees need to be willing to give up outrageous 6 figure salaries in turn for a more quiet pragmatic life and more focus on work life balance and health. In short, Germans are less capitalist and focus more on solidarity. Americans are pure capitalists and care more about rugged individualism than solidarity. Americans always say taxes are theft or if you want more days off you need to find a better job with better working conditions. And yes that works for ppl who are able to do that but for the rest, it doesn't. And IMO just because you work a simple job doesn't mean you don't deserve a good work life balance.
@@arnodobler1096 You're right to point out the majority is struggling, and for a smaller, but still significant portion, so is chrisking, in showing what those on the other side of the income gap do. Making the long story short on what I have to add... When the disparity in a society is minimized and more of a bell curve, people across the spectrum that material realities create support each other more, because they have more in common and can see themselves in the others shoes more readily.
I am a German and I highly support the American system and I want nobody to change it. Why? Because it's good for the American stocks and American stock market beats all other stock markets. I live a nice comfortably live in Germany while I am mostly invested in American stocks (MSCI World ist mostly American, around 75%) resulting in very good profits. As we say in Germany. This is a literal translation. "Each medal has two sides" ;)
"We are not Denmark".. Thats true. Denmark is the 2nd-happiest country on earth (US: 23rd), the 5th on the Human Development Index (US: 20th) and the 2nd in Press Freedom (US: 55th... behind many countries like Uruguay, Ghana, Armenia, ...) Corruption Perceptions Index: Denmark 1; US 24 Democracy Index: Denmark 6; US 29 Index of Economic Freedom: Denmark 10; US 25 Denmark beats the US on all metrics that matter to everyday life, except one: Failed States Index: US: 141, Denmark 175 (out of 179)
Wasnt this suppose to compare the most sought after jobs in the US versus Germany? If that is the case, she should compare Google benefits and Google US pay with Germany's. This is just comparing regular US jobs with Germany
1st of May is labour day. The irony being that it become labour day because of strikes in Chicago and the worlds embraced it ... except for the US where it was deemed 'socialist/communist' so they put labor day after the summer. That's the land of the free and home of the 'brave' for you, being scared of being mistaken for communist by celebrating a day of the employees.
Informative video. Also a video which no American will watch. Most are too dumb and too impatient to watch 24 minute long video that would help improve their own lives, not to mention too prideful of the very things that keep them from the things they say they want.
I know this video is about jobs, and it points to how relatively far behind civilization the US, for it's "wealth", has fallen. Still the other side of personal economics is even worse here, unless you're on the upper side of the wealth distribution divide. Basic needs are not treated or spoken of as the human rights any civilized society would treat them as. Food, Housing, Clothing, Healthcare. In some places here it the US, you can be arrested or face fines for Helping people with some of these. We seem to be embracing barbarianism.
This all sounds great! It's because Germany's business and industry is so "competitive" compared to the rest of the worlds countries. Germany's lucky that the government is so wonderful there, so lucky to have such a paradise.
Business enviroment shit in germamy ! She claming business owners greedy when taxes gone up and slot of franchise gone bankrupt because of marxist government in germany
Freedoms in US mean freedom for corporations to slave people as they wish. In US people get also paid a lot less for How many hours they have to sacrifice from their lives to work.
How can we employers in Europe survive?? Same question for Korea and Japan! WHY are not US companies sveeping the world market with all of their "advantages" ? It is a mystery.....
It isnt that Americans think they arent worth it, its just that most of us are to the point we cant afford to strike and beg for better pay and workers rights. Futher compounded by the rising cost of everything in this country, back in the early 2000s people started standing up for themselves, and this is why the world economy has crashed to keep Americans down. They made it global so as to distract why it was happening. I wish my fellow countrymen would rise up like they do in france and demand better, but walmart being the largest employer in the country i dont see that happening anytime soon.
No, the difference is that our grandparents and great grandparents did the suffering of going on strike but hung in there until things changed while in the USA you got things like the Palmer raids that the US people folded.
The fun part - If you are an American, you just wouldn't believe it even if you are sitting in it - Making America great is nothing else than being able to believe that America is the greatest place on earth and everything else is a shit shack - and the reason is so obvious - when you have the rich and wealthy dictating your expectations and rights you lose and in America you lose a lot - what I personally find surprising with all the American work ethics why is work quality in America so bad compared to other counties - and as long as Americans don't play the international decimal card and keep up their measuring system they are not going to be a part of the real human system.
2 points. GDP per capita is fairly high in the US but also Gini coefficient. That means there are a few people making a lot of money but a lot of people don’t. Now, put Trump in the mix and I predict that GDP per capita will get lower and the GINI coefficient will get even higher. In other words. There will be an even bigger shift of money from the workers to the superrich.
I'm surprised I haven't seen more disagreements with this video so far. US conservatives are simply way too misinformed about how things work in other countries.
As an emploee, i can quit at anytime. If my coworker is drain on the company, its not a good fit. As long as their plenty of jobs, they can find a better fit. Having worked with many UK, FR and GR employees, they were always over budget and late. And the Americans had to bring back the schedule 😡..and the Mexicans saved ours butts 😊 US 1000% needs EU health system, sick and family leave. 👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘. I am also for minimum wage and **maximum** wages
Great (also depressing) video. From a small business POV it would take a lot of growth before I could afford that range of benefits. It assumes all business is large business … I wonder how small bakeries do this in Germany
I love that you made a reference sheet (not that i dont believe you, but i like it)! I was watching a video yesterday of an american who said he had done a survey of why european folks would never move to america and it was from his american perspective why he thought we never want to move there (we dont, thats true). Its was completely inaccurate and some other american then reviewed that and ugh. And to keep it this way in germany.....DO NOT vote for the AfD!!! They even wanna do a roe v. wade reversal type thing!!!
Six weeks sick leave in Germany is not correct. If you have an broken leg you are maybe 5 weeks sick. If you break your arm after you can have again six weeks sick leave in one year. Germany is not perfect, but I would never move to the USA.
Devil's advocate: do the generous benefits in Europe have a cause and effect result on the current low competitive economic level vis-a-vis the high economic surge in the USA? Maybe having a strong patriarchic control over employees results in high profits - the ultimate goal of capitalism.
This whole idea of a "dream job" is starting to sound like a myth, given the ZERO control I would have on the constantly changing dynamics during the day, and also the limited so-called "benefits" that the employer is willing to offer. Aly, were you asked in the past about the "dream job" you have in mind? If yes, what was your answer? 🙂
@usa.mom.in.germany Well, these are much shorter answers than the one I formulated for myself, and I'm pretty sure that I would overlook a thing or two no matter how hard I try to make it complete! Thanks a lot for: the response and the video of course, and I look forward to more informative useful content 👍 😀
@usa.mom.in.germany There is something else I remembered. I know that in the US, employers could contact employees during weekends/holidays/vacations without facing consequences. Do employees in Germany have the legal right to completely disconnect from work outside of the normal working hours? Like, are there legal penalties that await employers who attempt to make employees work during their time off?
First thing you should do is learning German (up to B2 level). Most employers want there staff to speak German even if you may not need it otherwise it gets hard to find a job. I think the only way you can work in Germany without knowing German is in the scientific sector. If your profession is in the care sector you may get German courses paid, because Germany needs many people in this sector. The rest of the things you need to have can you find on the website of the German embassy in the guide for a working visa.
I don't expect any positive impact by your exzellent video. A few rich enjoy the best life, start greedy wars against others on the back of the rest) because they control the information war. They own all news outlets, algorithm driven social medias etc) . No relieve for the busy but ignorant and obeying people, believing to become rich by hard working. I feel the pressure of the absolute privileged and united global class. I feel hostile to ALL super wealthy, they threaten me and You to run their wars and we will end in misery if we remain believers in hierarchical oligarchical systems.
Americans stigmatize socialism because people who can’t win arguments can only defeat their detractors with ad hominem attacks. If Americans truly believed that socialism was inferior they would have no need to stigmatize it. But we all know that if US healthcare was successfully socialized the capitalist health insurance market could not succeed, and if transportation (especially in large cities) was successfully and thoroughly socialized, the private car market would all but disappear. (Why pay $50K for a car when the subway or train is faster, safer, less stressful, and orders of magnitude cheaper?) Capitalists stigmatize socialism not because they fear its failure, but because they rightfully fear its success.
Capitalist here. No, I don't fear socialism's (as in, real socialism, public ownership of the means of production, not just a bit of welfare and worker's rights) success, because I'm convinced that socialism is a terrible system and will reliably fail after having convinced people to support it with rosy promises. It's that failure that worries me. It's rightly stigmatized because despite being inferior it seduces people with its false promise of an utopia, but leads them into calamity. The most recent example is Venezuela. By the way, many countries have good public transportation, still cars are very much a thing there. Germany and other European countries also use a multi payer healthcare system with private insurers (in addition to the public option) and private for-profit hospitals and it's working fine. The reason why the US he healthcare system is messed up isn't 2-6% in insurer net profit margins, but it's administrative costs due to lack of standardization, crazy legal system, and some more reasons such as the health insurance being tied to one's employer.
Just to clarify, Europe is not socialist. We are capitalist, but we have certain social welfare programs that why our system is generally called „social capitalism“.
Your title suggests you are comparing a dream job in the US to one in Germany, but you keep talking about bare minimum benefits. And of course you never mention salary. A dream job in the US has a lot more than the bare minimum benefits. I don’t have a “dream job” my job is average for my company. I earn 200 hours of vacation per year, that is 25 days worth. I have 8 paid vacation days throughout the year, plus 2 transferable holidays (days I can use at any time). We have short term disability and long term disability meaning if I get sick or a family member gets sick I can take up to a year off while receiving half of my salary. My health insurance is probably more expensive than it would be in Germany but it covers basically everything 100%. I won’t say what my salary is but it is considerably higher than the average salary in Germany. If I took a job in Germany I would take a big pay cut and I would have basically the same or worse benefits. So a “dream job” would be a lot better than this. Please tell us what a “dream job” in Germany looks like, and be sure to include the salary it pays and how much they would pay in taxes. We’ll see if it’s better.
I’m comparing a dream job in the USA to the bare minimum in Germany. The benefits you’ve mentioned having in the USA barely break the bare minimum and certainly not the average in Germany. If I compared a dream job in Germany, it would obviously outweigh a dream job in the USA as, pointed out in the video repeatedly, even the best case scenario in the USA doesn’t cross the bare minimum across ALL of these standards in Germany.
In Germany, the net monthly income for a full-time minimum wage worker is about €1,601, while in the U.S., it ranges from approximately $1,100 at the federal minimum wage to higher amounts in states with increased minimum wages. I have short comparing Salaries v. Expenses in Germany vs. USA if you’d like to check out.
@@SimonBellaMondo I guess you do not understand the issue. If you start today at a Mc Donalds in Germany, you have a minimum 20 paid days vacation plus 12 days paid holidays, 6 weeks paid sick leave plus over 52 weeks additional at 70% pay, you cannot get fired just because and a minimum wage of 12,82 EUR.... As said, that is just the bare minimum. You have 100% healthcare included in that with no funny business. Now, I worked at Siemens in Munich 20+ years ago. I had 32 vacation days, unlimited sick days, private health insurance with all sorts of perks, I could go 2-4 weeks per year on free training, 2-4 weeks per year on "recovery absence" and had so much many more perks from free stocks to many other things. As mentioned, that was in 1996 or so. I also worked in US and not one job, no matter how big my salary was, would ever come close to that. True, you earn more in US, but you have to understand that for one, it is not as expensive to live in Europe and, there is more to life than money. What she showed in this video was the bare minimum, a worker at Mc Donalds is better than the dream job in US when it comes to the mandatory perks you get.
@@usa.mom.in.germany Right, but I thought we were comparing the bare minimum job in Germany to a dream job in the US, not minimum to minimum. Let’s say a dream job in the US pays a salary in the top 5 percent of income. That is over 295,000 per year. The vacation would be more than mine, say 300 hours at least. It probably has an even better health insurance policy, a long term disability of 80% of salary. Other perks like 401k match, plus a pension. The bare minimum job in Germany pays 20,000 per year with the benefits you mentioned in the video. I’ll take the dream job in the US.
Germany treats civilian workers better than the U.S., but their economy is struggling as of January 2025. There were multiple layoffs in late 2024 and the number continues growing after the new year. Along with German companies, some American companies (e.g. Wayfair, etc.) are leaving Germany. While there are factors outside of salary and benefits to blame, finding a new job in the European country will likely be more difficult.
Ah yes, because the USA economy is doing so fantastic which is why people in the USA voted for a con man, convicted velon, convicted sexual assaulter, failed business man, liar and cheat. Right?
It is a subjective term used to refer to someone's notion of a "perfect" occupation, usually one that pays well, respects their home life, and enables them to "live life to the fullest."
With other Western (let alone oriental) countries like the USA able to undercut Germany, unfettered big money will, in fact, vacate Germany. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and kissing up to it will only buy so much time. This is a global culture problem.
when looking to the Usa, i always hear a quote from Aunt Lydia/Handmaid's Tale "There are two kinds of Freedom, the Freedom to and the Freedom from..." for me it looks the US workers choose their Freedom from Protection of reasonable Labour Laws, and the Freedom to be (as european point of view) to be exploited...
@@MrGriff305-d3u Neither competitiveness or productivity have ever benefitted the U.S. worker(with the exception of the post ww2 era 1945-1968), so what's your point? And I don't know what the China request is meant to imply, but in case you believe Chinese workers have it "worse," you'd be wrong.
Actually USA is less productive - check some research. It’s more competitive, but it’s based on anxiety. Why do you think Americans are taking handfuls of pills?
German companies are declaring bankruptcy at a very high rate right now. The German government has collapsed and a conservative Party is poised to capture far more power. Germany is undergoing an energy crisis and citizens are tired of your government's infinity migration policy. Maybe you should worry more about Germany than about other countries right now?
Tbf the number of companies declaring bankruptcy was very low over the last years, so at least some of it is just unhealthy companies going out of business. If you are talking about AfD, they are at 20% atm and I would doubt they can reach more than 25%, which comes with exactly zero power for now in a parliamentary system with proportional representation. Energy crisis is a bit of a strong word as well - the last blackout I recall was in the nineties. Prices are comparably high, but calling it a crisis - I do not really know. And people are no more fed up than US citizens with their migration, I guess...
I would love to move to Europe right now but I retire from my job in 2 1/2 more years. I'm thinking on moving to the Netherlands when that happens. I love there bike infrastructure.
I moved to Germany from the US in 2001, and became a citizen in 2016. Somebody asked me recently if I'd ever consider moving back to the States. I laughed out loud.
Also wenn ich das Geld hätte, würde ich in die USA ziehen 😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂 amazing
@@m.h.f3350craving medical debt?
Das liegt entweder daran, dass du dich von den positiven Seiten der USA (Propaganda?) blenden lässt oder dass du dich im Anti-Intellektualismus pudelwohl fühlst. Wenn das Zweite zutrifft: immer fleißig sparen!
Unless you're wealthy and seeking lower taxes, there is no reason to move to the USA. The reason why Americans work past retirement age and skip taking their unpaid vacations is because there is no social safety net in the USA and roughly 30% of Americans have to keep working to pay off their medical debt. Granted, USA leads the western world in productivity because of this but that's because no other westernized country wants to participate in this race to the bottom.
When the US train workers wanted to strike for 7 sick days 🤯 a while ago, the government stopped it. A little later there was the train disaster in Ohio.
They got their 7 sick days. The train derailment had nothing to do with the strikes, that was equipment malfunction.
The workers didn't get 7 sick days. What they got was 4 paid sick days and the option of taking 3 more paid sick days from personal days. The "equipment malfunction" at Ohio was caused by an over heated wheel bearing. The subsequent investigation revealed that about 25% of the cars (rolling stock) had federal defective conditions. Not impressive on both counts. You can draw your own conclusions as you wish but to try and draw the inference that the strike in some fashion caused the railway companies failure to maintain rolling stock seems unsupported
@@ljisbister3211So they’re not responsible for predictive maintenance?
@@joshualeeth Maintenance was already understaffed before the strike.
@@RationalistRebel understaffing does have consequences you cant blame the workers for.... not for lack of trying of course.
who would have thought.
I know so many business leaders world wide (not just u.s. , i am working for such a boss in the european nordics) who cant fathom any negative consequences from running the business on skeleton crews forever.
This needs to be seen by every American. Many old people are too brainwashed to listen but this information will help the young.
Nobody in America wants European socialism. Who wants month of paid vacation when you can work without it? Who needs holiday off? Healthcare shouldn’t be for everyone, only for those who can pay. Work is virtue, we should have at least two jobs unless you’re ceo. Then it’s a different story - you can enjoy reaching top of the hierarchy.
@@vg7985 I can’t tell if you are joking or rich by birth.
@@wriptag3
We have data. Only 22% of Americans trust the government. Almost the entire population of the US shows distrust in the government and its institutions. If you want USA to have what Europe does, constant dumping on it will probably achieve more of the opposite. People are more willing to pay more into something they trust and love.
Large amounts of distrust make voters more susceptible to simple right wing solutions from a strong man. Guys I hate to point this out but stuff like this is part of the problem.
@winterlinde5395
Use what you know about the wealth gap and estimate the probability.
Amazon didn't only pressure employees to not unionize, they stated that any employee promoting a union, even if they simply had a piece of paper with union info on it, they would be immediately fired. The problem is, as usual, the monetary penalties for labor law violations (or any other crime) committed by a corporation is so small, it becomes a simple expense to do business.
Fighting Amazon isn't impossible.
First, let's stop shipping there.
If American employers state that they can't thrive with more worker rights they acknowledge that they are so bad at leading a company that it only functions with ripping off the employees. Or that they just want too many Ferraris in their garages.
Which can be seen with the McDonalds comparisons between the USA and Denmark. Danish employees are so much better of than their US colleagues but still McDonalds Denmark makes profits even with higher taxes. So what do they need all these additional profits for ?
Excess profits land in the pockets of companies or their owners and are saved. In other words, they are taken out of the circulation of money and henceforth do neither contribute to investment in infrastructure or productive capital, nor are available for making the lives of everybody else better. They just make the rich richer. The only politician in the US, who grasped this is Bernie Sanders. The best president you guys never voted into office.
Aly, you're getting better and better!
Man, there’s a heck of a learning curve on these long form videos but I’m getting there slowly I think 💚
@@usa.mom.in.germany Mach weiter so!👍👍
@@usa.mom.in.germany Aly, as i mentioned before, you should do a colab with Ashton from Freiburg. I bet she also has some tips on video editing and cutting.
@@arnodobler1096 Moin Arno!
@peter_meyer that would be epic! Two of my favorite youtubers
Anti-union training is standard practice in the southern states.
Sounds dystopian
Right to work states are predominantly in the south and I wonder why.... not really it stems from their past of being slave states....
Yep, the Orwellian "Right to Work" propaganda.
Fits with the history of the place.
I have been preaching this for YEARS... corporations in North America have done an incredible job convincing the public that they should be grateful to have jobs at all, and that unions are evil, when unions are why we have even the mediocre benefits we have now. They convince people that a single worker has as much negotiating power as an entire corporation which has many people in it, which is patently absurd, but gets then to avoid unionising. I had a friend who was convinced we have a 40 hour five day work week because "employers wanted to keep workers happy." I keep reminding them of the Haymarket Riots in 1886 Chicago that literally started the world-wide labour movement, and that everywhere but in Canada, US and South Africa, Labour Day is May 1 (the day of the riots) to commemorate them... but the US intentionally moved it to first Monday in September to break the connection. And worse, in Canada and the US, we "celebrate" Labour Day by giving management and middle class workers the day off so they can be waited on by low wage workers - *who don't get the day off*.
Nobody celebrates Labor Day, it’s just a day off.
Conservatives love making excuses for corporations
@@SimonBellaMondoNot true 😂
@SimonBellaMondo obviously, it's not a day off 😂
Great content, it is my first view of your channel. As a German living and working in the US for almost 30 years, I second every single aspect of your analysis. This is why US has these centi-billinairs. Something is out of balance.
I was an at-will employee and my employer fired me for complaining about the systemic abuse of workers which is legal in the US as long as the employer’s abuse isn’t directed towards any protected group (Blacks, women, etc.). However, at-will employment also allows employers to discriminate against employees by protecting employers’ right to fire anyone at any time for no reason whatsoever.
wait... so if youre a woman you part of a "protected group" and if you are a pale male with his summer ale you are basically screwed? did i get that right?
And people still wonder how equality doesnt happen? what sane business would even hire ladies if he could as well abuse some male workdonkeys with less repercussions...
Most of Europe - except Germany and Romania - is "at will".
Still, the amount of abuse is much lower.
@@LMB222where did you get that bizarre idea?
@@LMB222 nice way to say you are ill informed or just forgot to take your meds.
Most of Europe isn't at will at all, or you don't know what 'at will' means in the context of workers contracts.
The vast majority of EU countries for instance have very good workers rights baked into their laws.
@@LMB222 Absolute nonsense, you should let yourself be properly informed or stop bending the truth, whichever is applicable.
The other scam in America is salary base jobs where you don't get paid by the hour but by a fixed salary. People in salary based jobs tend to work 50 hours per week and often have to work on some weekends. I avoid salary base jobs
So there is no overtime pay?
In germany in a salary based job if I work significantly more than my contract states I get either compensation pay for overtime (which is higher €/hour than the normal work hours due to legislation) or I get extra payed time of. (Most employers of course chose the 2nd option as it is technically cheaper)
@@Jothaka
There is a similar law in the US called the FLSA. Workers have to be compensated if overtime is excessive. In both countries, these laws are not always enforced. Companies cut corners sometimes.
I'm in a salaried job in Australia and I never work unpaid overtime. I am in government though. But salaried jobs are normal here for full time white collar workers.
In any other country, salary-based jobs are most popular ones. Because even on rainy days, when you don't work full hours, you still get fully paid.
@@dan_kay
Not really. My job in Germany abuses the salary option. You get overtime and often it isn't compensated with money. They waste your time and screw up your plans and then you get a different time off. There is no upward mobility. I got one raise in 8 years.
"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin
What you said at the start is incredibly important IMO. Moving to live in a different country gives you the perspective to judge your own country. Too many people miss out on that opportunity.
The American dream came from a book near the end of great depression by James Truslow Adams. It described a meritocratic order in which people regardless of background were rewarded for what they can bring to society. It was not something that has ever been achieved. Americans were supposed to work towards it. Somehow it turned into a selfish idea, and people lost the meaning. It's gone because people don't respect their own society and only think about what the government should be giving to them.
The American Dream is gone because employers have become more powerful, selfish and greedy than they used to be.
They miss out, often enough, because they can't join in
Home ownership much easier in usa than germany
@@Boris80bthe government greedy ! Is a business owner greedy when there net profit fallen no ! 3000 franchise closed in australia the business owners too
A friend of mine was offered a job at Evans&Sutherland and declined it in favour of Sky-Skan. The difference being Sky-Skan is German and E&S are situated in the USA. Which proves your point.
Hi im from Denmark, love your vids and your " shorts" we need to lift the american propaganda smokescreen, I keep saying that the work " situation" in America is modern day slavery, you are totally at the mercy of your employer...
You know, you've chrystalised so much i was feeling but could not put into words, and you did it so succinctly, thank you.
Yep, and I say it as an American.
Have you ever bothered to look at what % of Americans trust in their public institutions and % thinks USA is #1?
If you work for a small company it's nearly the same thing here. Also, Arbeitszeugnis. In Germany getting fired means the employers opinion also has control over your future.
It's much easier to get fired in the US than in any other developed country
I totally support this channel. Keep up the important work!
A tour de force! Careful and thoughtful. Great example of application of data-based argument by an educator.🙌🏾
Thank you again for all you do! This channel is an invaluable resource. 👏👊
Aly you have become my inspiration for my youtube page! Different spin but similar topics. Hats off to you!
This is so good. I shared it around. More people need to watch this. Thanks for such an articulate video essay. Truly excellent.
Retired printing press op. Wish more people in US would watch and learn from this. "We the people" continue to passively accept and vote for a chump deal. Blue and Purple states and US territories should consider joining Germany, Canada, Mexico, or Denmark. Us working folks would be getting a better deal.
My spouse has worked himself into mental health disaster with his job, but he's making decent money because of it. He works 144hrs a pay period and is exhausted. He cant change careers because all the job board postings are fake or want unicorns for low pay. Its a disaster and we want out so bad.
Feel free to emigrate.
I grew up an army brat and I was also stationed there from 92 to 96 my first wife and my momma are German….she’s right on point…a great society that loves Americans for our ingenuity and dedication to service…I graduated from high school on an Army base and the teachers there were excellent it’s a multi racial multi social economic school were the student is a dependent of a US service member or American Civilian worker…back then on the weekdays things close at dark or about 7pm except for the guest houses or what you call pubs…they’re everywhere and basically every city or region in remote areas have their own type of beer so people don’t drive they take the train or walk…even so violence and capital crimes are virtually non existent…it’s a very safe place….when I was young there are many things to do and see around Europe and Germany is right in the middle…if you like winter sports or hiking in the summer…the world was my oyster so I saw everything from the North Sea to Switzerland to the tower of Pisa….never had an issue I’m mixed race black and German so I fit right in there….im old now I was involved in Special Operations for some 18 years so I can just enjoy the memories when I could travel…Believe me there’s so much culture religious history great food and even better people!!!!
Nice made up story
@@minecraftfox4384don't like the message and hence attack the messenger?
It's true, Germany is very safe, located in the centre of Europe and you don't need much money to travel there. Back in the 90ies I hitchhiked through Scotland, Denmark and Switzerland with my boyfriend. From age 16 to 28 I used to take the night train between Rome and Munich on my own, crossing Austria and never had any troubles. I travelled alone in Southern Italy as a young, blond, German girl.
Europe is much safer than the US.
Small correction, the 20 days paid anual leave days are technically not german law but European law:
Under the EU Working Time Directive, all workers in EU member states are entitled to at least 4 weeks (20 days) of paid annual leave per year.
It can take years for a group of US employees to unionize.....But often, even after a union is formed, management can get away with stalling negotiations for years more.
I have lived in Austria for the past 40 years and would never ever even consider to returning to the States. Life is too good here.
In the US, we’re rivals, first and foremost, in a lifelong competition for our own front doors. We’re living proof that even the pious can lose sight of compassion and fairness in the pursuit of easy money.
Thank you, Aly. 💙💙💙
I never really understood why I had to pay a big part of my salary to mandatory insurances. I saw it as lost money. But now, 12 years after a stroke, i still can’t work, i can still afford life. But American told me I’m socialist or something lol
You sound like you've found a way to recovery. Congratulations! Hope things continue to go well for you.
Dutchie here, the fact that the concept of "sick leave" exists is hilarious to me.
E: Also funny that you call it "job protection" while we call it "workers rights".
3:41 I heard that the employer is still paying the income, but gets the money back from the health insurance in Germany.
That doesn't apply?
I worked for several years for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, frequently doing the surveys that poroduced the statisics you cited at 2:33. I got accrued vacation time, btw. (Wow, is this circular!)
Thank you for a well structured, extensively researched, and generally objective outline look at this subject. My experience (six yrs + four yrs in US) as a well paid professional working in four countries over my 50 yr career is similar to yours. Interestingly, even your terms define you are American. To those who have worked elsewhere, what you call benefits, are simply considered rights, for example.
Would be interesting to know how many Americans actually have a full time contract. People may work more than 40 hours weekly but if their employer considers this only as a 90% job then these employees are not eligible for benefits like paid vacation.
1: Workers should organize themselves in unions.
2. This is often labelled “socialism”. So what? Rather that than oligarchy.
Unions aren't socialism and I've never heard anyone say that in my 47 years and 21 years in a union.
For someone who only knows English, French, and Italian, please tell me about your experience practicing German, and is Hochdeutsch useful in Bavaria, please, Allie? Danke!
Straight off you don't compare self employment where you set the standards as the employer and can't blame someone else for the shortcomings of the deal!
In 2014, VW wanted a works council at its plant in the USA.
There were quite a few difficulties, as a union had to step in first and even employees and local politicians opposed it.
"Flexible working hours" - this system can also cause problems in Germany. These "flexible times" are often used to extend business hours, which then leads to employees working in shifts, which they often cannot really choose, as not many people like to work particularly early or particularly long hours. And I am not talking about the typical shift jobs here, but rather the commercial sector.
There‘s a regularly coming stop for a second to your audio like every 5 seconds.
Yeah that’s weird in the beginning. It wasn’t like that upon upload ☹️
No sick days and no holidays - thats what I get being self employed.
My income is en par that in the UD, but i get all the perks of Europe.
The unlimited pto isnt a problem because it’s rare. It’s a problem because employers aren’t honest about how much they expect making it a marketing gimmick
I wonder how the unions in Germany are organized. In the Netherlands all companies fall automatically under the negotiation results the unions have the employers. So a company isn’t able to get the unions banned, because a unions is for all people in the country who work in the part of the labor market covered by the union.
It's similar in Germany, general labour contracts and something called "Tarifeinheitsgesetz" (difficult to translate)
Sweden we have a combo of voluntary agreements and minimum laws
That's why I'm glad I live in the USA. Unions are terrible.
@@minecraftfox4384then you need to understand the concept first. Even most employers in Germany/Europe see advantages in an organized workforce with clear rules how to deal with each other for win-win results.
While it's true that US employers can fire workers for any reason except discrimination against a protected class or retaliation for exercise of rights, that is not a result of the "at will" laws in certain states. "At will" laws only prevent workers from compulsory union membership or union dues paying.
That's just totally false. I had a moment of second-guessing myself, so I looked it up. You are wrong. At-will employment means a worker can be terminated at any time, for any reason. A worker can also quit without notice, and cannot be punished for doing so.
"Right to work" is what you are thinking of. Right to work means you don't HAVE to join the union to get the job.
If you are employed as a professor on an American campus, what benefits do you have then? German industries especially car manufacturers seem to have a hard time right now, many think that the cars are too expensive. How does this fit in with the obvious additional costs of the systems you advocate for?
The cars are too expensive for what they offer, but they still pay 20-30% higher salaries than manufacturers on average.
And if you want to compare professors, then German professors are kind payed well, effectively unfirable except for being sentenced for a crime and get exceptionally high pensions and premium health insurance. Since professors in the US still can be fired, this already is a significant drawback...
So true... Don't know why US workers do not try to change their work-life balance and horrible working conditions by electing different politicians or joining unions.
Decades of brainwashing led to collective Stockholm syndrome.
Then there is maternity pay and 6 weeks vacation.
To sum it up for healthcare and employees' rights:
The USA today is there where Germany was roughly around 1850. So 175 years ago.
Back then there were literally bloody battles on the streets of 'Germany' when workers clashed with government soldiers over exploitative measures taken by big industrialists. Right during those times a certain well-known German philosopher who is now utterly reviled in the USA was the author of his manifesto "Das Kapital" / "the Capital". The name of this philosopher was Karl Marx. He believed that nearly all socio-economic circumstances could be described by the distribution of wealth and profit. Or rather their disproportionate distribution between poor and rich. However, and that is one BIG caveat, he believed it takes massive changes in human nature towards less greed and avarice, and more community based thinking.
"To each according to their needs, from each according to their abilities."
Socialism as per Marx and Engels is the abolishment of all private ownership, while still retaining some forms of capitalistic vestiges like currency and money while all economic and productive planning is supposed to be centralized to maintain better administrative control over limited resources. The means of production are supposed to be owned by all, not by companies owned by a board of directors and shareholders. The motive of companies/collectives should not be the maximization of profit but to provide the maximum benefit of said collective to all.
All of this demands a complete restructuring of human society along idealistic lines of putting self-interest below the interest of the common good.
And that's where the whole concept of Marxism/Communism fell apart. Marx and Engels realized that such changes of human nature would require quite rigorous societal control by something similar to a dictatorship of the proletariat. They noticed that the forces behind capitalism were strongly aligned with keeping the status quo intact.
Rich became richer, thus more powerful; the poor became poorer and disenfranchised. The wealth gap would grow until the poor realized that the only way to escape their situation would be to violently overthrow those that kept them in check.
Fast forward about 30 years to the times of the ultra-Monarchist Otto von Bismarck. He had personally witnessed a few of those street battles, and was deathly afraid of the predicted revolution of Marxism/Communists/Socialists. He knew for certain that Marx and Engels had written their manifesto with one particular nation conglomerate in mind: Germany. Even though Germany as a whole didn't even exist back then. But the social structure as well as the class struggles described by Marx were eerily familiar to Bismarck.
So this shrewed political genius analyzed what could be done to effectively neuter the political message of the socialist movement.
He decided to give the common worker basically all the benefits promised by the ideals of Marxism but prevent the destruction of private ownership. Bismarck established mandatory worker protections like defining limited hours per week, minimum vacation days, maximum hours per day, sick leave, healthcare insurances, pension funds. The whole shebang. Just to stifle the socialist movement enough to concede that private ownership might not be the bad thing described. Especially as workers had fought hard for their own tiny houses, so they didn't want to give up that ownership to a faceless board of political leaders anyways.
And that plan worked.
The German Socialist movement mellowed down, became Social Democrats, and didn't call for the dissolution of traditional government structures anymore. The Social Democrats now participated in the political landscape instead of fighting it.
Sure, there were still some heated arguments about exploitative measures, and how to curb those excesses.
But the Socialists supporters were more or less happy, as they had achieved a higher standard of living than almost any other workers in Europe at the time. And they could point to the legal framework that actually protected them, instead of being a political bandaid that didn't fix anything. So yeah, the Socialist movement was more or less happy with the new status quo, and Bismarck the old schemer had prevented a socialist revolution in his newly formed Germany. Talk about real-world "Game of Thrones" qualities here.
So, what you're saying's that a large part of the US-American population is literally antisocial.
Well the differance in unionization is also due to the fact that the germans didnt gut their manufactoring
Sweden has 6 months sick leave and if you are really sick 1 year and at minimum 60% pay , after that you can get disability which has no end this is income based and is diffrent from social security which is normally lower.
@@gaelle4328 Sweden is an actual democratic country
Why do they want to work in the US then? Sadly, it is now becoming harder than ever. I heard they stopped a couple with a broken taillight, saw that their visas had expired a long time ago, and they got deported.
Perfect way to catch the undocumented since everyone has to drive to get somewhere.
@@Brisamars-q1c Yes, no love for Europeans in US
What Americans notoriously are getting wrong is the concept of "Socialism". Socialism is the stage of development preceding communism that aims at social or state ownership of the means of production and a fair distribution of goods to all members of the community. In other words: The form of state we Germans had in East Germany before the re-unification. Neither in today's Germany, nor in any other Western Europe county, Socialism exists. The form of state we have in Germany is called a "Social Market Economy" (a milder form of capitalism than in the US, where the individual still is valued). Hence, we keep an eye on upholding minimum standards for each citizen to make life worth living. This is what the US lacks, as there the national goal is not a decent life for all, but the accumulation of wealth of the few, who are regarded as the "heroes" who successfully won the lottery of the American dream. The accompanying narrative is, that you can be a winner if you just work hard. Which is an illusion, as the system ensures you will stay at your level in society. The sad truth - as in Germany - is, that the super rich usually did not earn their wealth by hard work. Living in a more SOCIAL society in Germany, however, allows for a better life for everybody, as it shields ordinary people from being ripped off too badly by an exaggerated capitalistic system.
I've noticed an unusual number of comments weirdly focusing on the phrase "dream job." Particularly, some seemed concerned about the definition, can it be measured, and thus how can the concept be compared across countries and cultures? I think this is a pointless endeavor for two reasons.
1) The term does not translate to both cultures, necessarily and,
2) It is irrelevant to the argument being made in the video which is: Working class people in Germany have a better "quality of life" than their counterparts in the USA. She demonstrates this by noting factors like worker's rights, paid time off, maternity leave, union protections, and job stability.
The term "dream job" is irrelevant to this discussion in so far as it is a subjective term that cannot be used to analyze an objective situation because it is too variable to have meaningful significance.
dont distract by chewing on "dream job" the listend points matter
States that the Term Dream Jobs is not a valid Term to be used in the main Argument made her. Proceeds with their own words explaining why the Term is not only valid but pretty much the Definition of the Argumentation.
Either Sarcasm is strong with you or ..........
Be healthy.
Rights beter when your more broke in germany why you living in public housing not owning a home dumb marxist
I'm a German living in the US. And what it comes down to is really that Americans aren't pragmatic enough to give up their big pick up trucks and big houses in change for a more socialized system. You need to be pragmatic. We don't live in big houses in Germany or own 2 big cars and have a TV in each room. Consumerism in the US is insane and it's in part possible because you can make a shit ton of money here in the US which you can't in Germany. If you want a system like we have in Germany, corporations need to be willing to give up profits and employees need to be willing to give up outrageous 6 figure salaries in turn for a more quiet pragmatic life and more focus on work life balance and health. In short, Germans are less capitalist and focus more on solidarity. Americans are pure capitalists and care more about rugged individualism than solidarity. Americans always say taxes are theft or if you want more days off you need to find a better job with better working conditions. And yes that works for ppl who are able to do that but for the rest, it doesn't. And IMO just because you work a simple job doesn't mean you don't deserve a good work life balance.
Over 60% of US citizens live from paycheck to paycheck.
@@arnodobler1096 You're right to point out the majority is struggling, and for a smaller, but still significant portion, so is chrisking, in showing what those on the other side of the income gap do. Making the long story short on what I have to add... When the disparity in a society is minimized and more of a bell curve, people across the spectrum that material realities create support each other more, because they have more in common and can see themselves in the others shoes more readily.
I am a German and I highly support the American system and I want nobody to change it. Why? Because it's good for the American stocks and American stock market beats all other stock markets.
I live a nice comfortably live in Germany while I am mostly invested in American stocks (MSCI World ist mostly American, around 75%) resulting in very good profits.
As we say in Germany. This is a literal translation. "Each medal has two sides" ;)
@@smallego8068 Anyone who values accumulation of wealth over humanity loves the American stock markets.
Big trucks, houses etc. is not a tradeoff for lousy working conditions, it's part of the cultural brainwashing.
"We are not Denmark".. Thats true. Denmark is the 2nd-happiest country on earth (US: 23rd), the 5th on the Human Development Index (US: 20th) and the 2nd in Press Freedom (US: 55th... behind many countries like Uruguay, Ghana, Armenia, ...)
Corruption Perceptions Index: Denmark 1; US 24
Democracy Index: Denmark 6; US 29
Index of Economic Freedom: Denmark 10; US 25
Denmark beats the US on all metrics that matter to everyday life, except one: Failed States Index: US: 141, Denmark 175 (out of 179)
Wasnt this suppose to compare the most sought after jobs in the US versus Germany? If that is the case, she should compare Google benefits and Google US pay with Germany's. This is just comparing regular US jobs with Germany
Is May Day a holiday?
1st of May is labour day.
The irony being that it become labour day because of strikes in Chicago and the worlds embraced it ... except for the US where it was deemed 'socialist/communist' so they put labor day after the summer.
That's the land of the free and home of the 'brave' for you, being scared of being mistaken for communist by celebrating a day of the employees.
Thank you 💚
Informative video. Also a video which no American will watch. Most are too dumb and too impatient to watch 24 minute long video that would help improve their own lives, not to mention too prideful of the very things that keep them from the things they say they want.
I know this video is about jobs, and it points to how relatively far behind civilization the US, for it's "wealth", has fallen. Still the other side of personal economics is even worse here, unless you're on the upper side of the wealth distribution divide. Basic needs are not treated or spoken of as the human rights any civilized society would treat them as. Food, Housing, Clothing, Healthcare. In some places here it the US, you can be arrested or face fines for Helping people with some of these. We seem to be embracing barbarianism.
Obviously slavery wasn't limited to blacks in the US and abolished in 1865. It was extended to all people and rebranded freedom instead.
This all sounds great! It's because Germany's business and industry is so "competitive" compared to the rest of the worlds countries. Germany's lucky that the government is so wonderful there, so lucky to have such a paradise.
Business enviroment shit in germamy ! She claming business owners greedy when taxes gone up and slot of franchise gone bankrupt because of marxist government in germany
Freedoms in US mean freedom for corporations to slave people as they wish. In US people get also paid a lot less for How many hours they have to sacrifice from their lives to work.
Who slaving you the franchise employee majorty people ?? Government fucks over middle class franchise in germany wake up she lying
How can we employers in Europe survive?? Same question for Korea and Japan! WHY are not US companies sveeping the world market with all of their "advantages" ? It is a mystery.....
They cant the germany government is bankrupting franchise and alot of corporation
It isnt that Americans think they arent worth it, its just that most of us are to the point we cant afford to strike and beg for better pay and workers rights. Futher compounded by the rising cost of everything in this country, back in the early 2000s people started standing up for themselves, and this is why the world economy has crashed to keep Americans down. They made it global so as to distract why it was happening. I wish my fellow countrymen would rise up like they do in france and demand better, but walmart being the largest employer in the country i dont see that happening anytime soon.
No, the difference is that our grandparents and great grandparents did the suffering of going on strike but hung in there until things changed while in the USA you got things like the Palmer raids that the US people folded.
Well, you keep electing corporate billionaires?
Nothing will change!
The fun part - If you are an American, you just wouldn't believe it even if you are sitting in it - Making America great is nothing else than being able to believe that America is the greatest place on earth and everything else is a shit shack - and the reason is so obvious - when you have the rich and wealthy dictating your expectations and rights you lose and in America you lose a lot - what I personally find surprising with all the American work ethics why is work quality in America so bad compared to other counties - and as long as Americans don't play the international decimal card and keep up their measuring system they are not going to be a part of the real human system.
Im suddenly super depressed
2 points. GDP per capita is fairly high in the US but also Gini coefficient. That means there are a few people making a lot of money but a lot of people don’t. Now, put Trump in the mix and I predict that GDP per capita will get lower and the GINI coefficient will get even higher. In other words. There will be an even bigger shift of money from the workers to the superrich.
I'm surprised I haven't seen more disagreements with this video so far. US conservatives are simply way too misinformed about how things work in other countries.
HR is a union......For the company, they're job is to document to protect the company, Well if it's good for the goose...
As an emploee, i can quit at anytime. If my coworker is drain on the company, its not a good fit. As long as their plenty of jobs, they can find a better fit.
Having worked with many UK, FR and GR employees, they were always over budget and late. And the Americans had to bring back the schedule 😡..and the Mexicans saved ours butts 😊
US 1000% needs EU health system, sick and family leave. 👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘. I am also for minimum wage and **maximum** wages
America isn't the" Land of the free" anymore...😢
@@Naseweis-se9wt Never was, unfortunately.
It's 2025 and Americans are still amazed by the differences between Europe and US.
Great (also depressing) video. From a small business POV it would take a lot of growth before I could afford that range of benefits. It assumes all business is large business … I wonder how small bakeries do this in Germany
I love that you made a reference sheet (not that i dont believe you, but i like it)! I was watching a video yesterday of an american who said he had done a survey of why european folks would never move to america and it was from his american perspective why he thought we never want to move there (we dont, thats true). Its was completely inaccurate and some other american then reviewed that and ugh.
And to keep it this way in germany.....DO NOT vote for the AfD!!! They even wanna do a roe v. wade reversal type thing!!!
Nice made up story
Six weeks sick leave in Germany is not correct. If you have an broken leg you are maybe 5 weeks sick. If you break your arm after you can have again six weeks sick leave in one year. Germany is not perfect, but I would never move to the USA.
Devil's advocate: do the generous benefits in Europe have a cause and effect result on the current low competitive economic level vis-a-vis the high economic surge in the USA? Maybe having a strong patriarchic control over employees results in high profits - the ultimate goal of capitalism.
This whole idea of a "dream job" is starting to sound like a myth, given the ZERO control I would have on the constantly changing dynamics during the day, and also the limited so-called "benefits" that the employer is willing to offer.
Aly, were you asked in the past about the "dream job" you have in mind? If yes, what was your answer? 🙂
I always said that I would be a waitress. People. Predictable but varied. Leave work at work. Now, I say I don’t dream of labor 💚
@usa.mom.in.germany Well, these are much shorter answers than the one I formulated for myself, and I'm pretty sure that I would overlook a thing or two no matter how hard I try to make it complete!
Thanks a lot for: the response and the video of course, and I look forward to more informative useful content 👍 😀
@usa.mom.in.germany There is something else I remembered. I know that in the US, employers could contact employees during weekends/holidays/vacations without facing consequences.
Do employees in Germany have the legal right to completely disconnect from work outside of the normal working hours? Like, are there legal penalties that await employers who attempt to make employees work during their time off?
@@ahmedm.h.ibrahim1768 "Do employees in Germany have the legal right to completely disconnect from work outside of the normal working hours?" Yes.
So Russia and China are not "advanced economies" ? You used a chart that excluded them.
Can you please give us a step by step to move to Germany? Please
First thing you should do is learning German (up to B2 level). Most employers want there staff to speak German even if you may not need it otherwise it gets hard to find a job. I think the only way you can work in Germany without knowing German is in the scientific sector. If your profession is in the care sector you may get German courses paid, because Germany needs many people in this sector. The rest of the things you need to have can you find on the website of the German embassy in the guide for a working visa.
I don't expect any positive impact by your exzellent video. A few rich enjoy the best life, start greedy wars against others on the back of the rest) because they control the information war. They own all news outlets, algorithm driven social medias etc) . No relieve for the busy but ignorant and obeying people, believing to become rich by hard working. I feel the pressure of the absolute privileged and united global class. I feel hostile to ALL super wealthy, they threaten me and You to run their wars and we will end in misery if we remain believers in hierarchical oligarchical systems.
Americans stigmatize socialism because people who can’t win arguments can only defeat their detractors with ad hominem attacks. If Americans truly believed that socialism was inferior they would have no need to stigmatize it. But we all know that if US healthcare was successfully socialized the capitalist health insurance market could not succeed, and if transportation (especially in large cities) was successfully and thoroughly socialized, the private car market would all but disappear. (Why pay $50K for a car when the subway or train is faster, safer, less stressful, and orders of magnitude cheaper?) Capitalists stigmatize socialism not because they fear its failure, but because they rightfully fear its success.
requesting permission to plagiarize this.
Capitalist here. No, I don't fear socialism's (as in, real socialism, public ownership of the means of production, not just a bit of welfare and worker's rights) success, because I'm convinced that socialism is a terrible system and will reliably fail after having convinced people to support it with rosy promises.
It's that failure that worries me. It's rightly stigmatized because despite being inferior it seduces people with its false promise of an utopia, but leads them into calamity.
The most recent example is Venezuela.
By the way, many countries have good public transportation, still cars are very much a thing there.
Germany and other European countries also use a multi payer healthcare system with private insurers (in addition to the public option) and private for-profit hospitals and it's working fine.
The reason why the US he healthcare system is messed up isn't 2-6% in insurer net profit margins, but it's administrative costs due to lack of standardization, crazy legal system, and some more reasons such as the health insurance being tied to one's employer.
Just to clarify, Europe is not socialist. We are capitalist, but we have certain social welfare programs that why our system is generally called „social capitalism“.
@@jenswurm ruclips.net/user/postUgkx0vS9eteRlKYhIYej0afpIiKQOt_UPESR
Socialist believe socialism is better because of white supremacists ideals
imagine that
USA corporate propaganda is at least as good as Russian, but much less talked about.
Your title suggests you are comparing a dream job in the US to one in Germany, but you keep talking about bare minimum benefits. And of course you never mention salary.
A dream job in the US has a lot more than the bare minimum benefits. I don’t have a “dream job” my job is average for my company. I earn 200 hours of vacation per year, that is 25 days worth. I have 8 paid vacation days throughout the year, plus 2 transferable holidays (days I can use at any time). We have short term disability and long term disability meaning if I get sick or a family member gets sick I can take up to a year off while receiving half of my salary. My health insurance is probably more expensive than it would be in Germany but it covers basically everything 100%. I won’t say what my salary is but it is considerably higher than the average salary in Germany. If I took a job in Germany I would take a big pay cut and I would have basically the same or worse benefits.
So a “dream job” would be a lot better than this. Please tell us what a “dream job” in Germany looks like, and be sure to include the salary it pays and how much they would pay in taxes. We’ll see if it’s better.
I’m comparing a dream job in the USA to the bare minimum in Germany. The benefits you’ve mentioned having in the USA barely break the bare minimum and certainly not the average in Germany. If I compared a dream job in Germany, it would obviously outweigh a dream job in the USA as, pointed out in the video repeatedly, even the best case scenario in the USA doesn’t cross the bare minimum across ALL of these standards in Germany.
@@usa.mom.in.germany Okay, then what is the “bare minimum” salary in Germany, minus what they take out in taxes.
In Germany, the net monthly income for a full-time minimum wage worker is about €1,601, while in the U.S., it ranges from approximately $1,100 at the federal minimum wage to higher amounts in states with increased minimum wages. I have short comparing Salaries v. Expenses in Germany vs. USA if you’d like to check out.
@@SimonBellaMondo I guess you do not understand the issue. If you start today at a Mc Donalds in Germany, you have a minimum 20 paid days vacation plus 12 days paid holidays, 6 weeks paid sick leave plus over 52 weeks additional at 70% pay, you cannot get fired just because and a minimum wage of 12,82 EUR.... As said, that is just the bare minimum. You have 100% healthcare included in that with no funny business. Now, I worked at Siemens in Munich 20+ years ago. I had 32 vacation days, unlimited sick days, private health insurance with all sorts of perks, I could go 2-4 weeks per year on free training, 2-4 weeks per year on "recovery absence" and had so much many more perks from free stocks to many other things. As mentioned, that was in 1996 or so. I also worked in US and not one job, no matter how big my salary was, would ever come close to that. True, you earn more in US, but you have to understand that for one, it is not as expensive to live in Europe and, there is more to life than money.
What she showed in this video was the bare minimum, a worker at Mc Donalds is better than the dream job in US when it comes to the mandatory perks you get.
@@usa.mom.in.germany Right, but I thought we were comparing the bare minimum job in Germany to a dream job in the US, not minimum to minimum.
Let’s say a dream job in the US pays a salary in the top 5 percent of income. That is over 295,000 per year. The vacation would be more than mine, say 300 hours at least. It probably has an even better health insurance policy, a long term disability of 80% of salary. Other perks like 401k match, plus a pension.
The bare minimum job in Germany pays 20,000 per year with the benefits you mentioned in the video.
I’ll take the dream job in the US.
Germany treats civilian workers better than the U.S., but their economy is struggling as of January 2025. There were multiple layoffs in late 2024 and the number continues growing after the new year. Along with German companies, some American companies (e.g. Wayfair, etc.) are leaving Germany. While there are factors outside of salary and benefits to blame, finding a new job in the European country will likely be more difficult.
Ah yes, because the USA economy is doing so fantastic which is why people in the USA voted for a con man, convicted velon, convicted sexual assaulter, failed business man, liar and cheat. Right?
What exactly is a dream Job?
A job that a USA citizen only dreams of, but almost certainly not obtain - without a courts help.
It is a subjective term used to refer to someone's notion of a "perfect" occupation, usually one that pays well, respects their home life, and enables them to "live life to the fullest."
@@truecatholic1 lmao what the hell is that
@Gramsciwastoo so it has no measurable matrix since it subjective.
@carnivorepolice5-0 Correct.
That may be true, but Germany's good days are numbered.
With other Western (let alone oriental) countries like the USA able to undercut Germany, unfettered big money will, in fact, vacate Germany. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and kissing up to it will only buy so much time. This is a global culture problem.
Possible. Or not - the same has been said at least since the oil crisis. Only time will tell...
I wonder what your thoughts are on the rise of the far right in Germany. That can’t be good for these rights.
when looking to the Usa, i always hear a quote from Aunt Lydia/Handmaid's Tale "There are two kinds of Freedom, the Freedom to and the Freedom from..." for me it looks the US workers choose their Freedom from Protection of reasonable Labour Laws, and the Freedom to be (as european point of view) to be exploited...
So, the U.S. is more competitive and will stay more productive. Good to know. Also, do a comparison to China.
@@MrGriff305-d3u Neither competitiveness or productivity have ever benefitted the U.S. worker(with the exception of the post ww2 era 1945-1968), so what's your point? And I don't know what the China request is meant to imply, but in case you believe Chinese workers have it "worse," you'd be wrong.
Actually USA is less productive - check some research. It’s more competitive, but it’s based on anxiety. Why do you think Americans are taking handfuls of pills?
You sure talk a lot before you get around to saying anything.
Bad enough for citizen workers, where do new migrants fit in? As scavengers in the jungle?
German companies are declaring bankruptcy at a very high rate right now. The German government has collapsed and a conservative Party is poised to capture far more power. Germany is undergoing an energy crisis and citizens are tired of your government's infinity migration policy. Maybe you should worry more about Germany than about other countries right now?
Tbf the number of companies declaring bankruptcy was very low over the last years, so at least some of it is just unhealthy companies going out of business. If you are talking about AfD, they are at 20% atm and I would doubt they can reach more than 25%, which comes with exactly zero power for now in a parliamentary system with proportional representation. Energy crisis is a bit of a strong word as well - the last blackout I recall was in the nineties. Prices are comparably high, but calling it a crisis - I do not really know. And people are no more fed up than US citizens with their migration, I guess...
Our laws are carefully crafted so that it seems like we have the right to organize, when in fact We Don't.
Yes, you do. Your employer has the right to terminate you for it, too. That's called Fair Representation.
Yep, there are always some unfair laws in the US
😂😂😂
it makes me so sad to see what us workers have to put up with.so much stress.
Talking about propaganda while creating more propaganda 😂
Shhh, she doesn't like being called out.
@@HenryClavo Says the morons who have never read a book and don't even know what "quality of life" means.
What I want to know is how Germany is allowed to exist after two world wars. I mean what the actual fuck is that about?
I would love to move to Europe right now but I retire from my job in 2 1/2 more years. I'm thinking on moving to the Netherlands when that happens. I love there bike infrastructure.
Enjoy being broke in a year. Because the wages are shit and PPP is weak.