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Comment by luckydata | Hacker News Reader

I know it sounds crazy, it's because it is. Working in the US SUCKS for everyone.

> Working in the US SUCKS for everyone.

Simply not true. Every 12 months I get three weeks PTO and three weeks sick leave (which is also paid and not connected to my vacation time). PTO will soon jump to 4 weeks after another year of working at my job.

I know it isn't this good for everyone, but to say that working in the US sucks for everyone is a ridiculous statement.

Of course “everyone” is never true. But for example in The Netherlands, 4.5 weeks of paid leave is the bare minimum (like even if you flip burgers you get at least that). If you’re e sick, you get paid leave for multiple months and after that, still 70% is paid. Your health endurance is not held hostage by your employer; for a small monthly fee (< $50 if you have a low income job) you’re pretty much ensured health issues won’t ruin you financially.

Every country has their own Stockholm Syndromes where they think they’ve got it made, while actually other places are doing a lot better. I think employment and benefits are one of these for the US.

Eh, not necessarily. In my field (tech-related), I make substantially more than I would in the Netherlands and my tax burden is also substantially lower. I get 4 weeks of PTO plus 10 holidays every year and I never use it all. That is certainly not what everyone would prefer, but it suits me just fine.

Having that little leave is literally illegal here (Ireland, minimum 20 days per year). Sick leave has its limits, but they're so irrelevant that I don't even know what they are.

That’s really not true. Plenty of people in the US do get paid time off. It’s just not required by law.

This article is about low skilled workers. I've worked the same job in the US and the EU, I earned MORE than double in the US. Also lower taxes.

And holiday you can negotiate up front to get as many as you would in Europe.

Not everyone. Most salaried jobs have at least two weeks paid vacation and 10 paid holidays. This is also true for decently paid full time hourly workers.

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