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Comment by oezi | Hacker News Reader

I think many Europeans can't imagine moving to the US (higher work load, less social safety, higher violence) and employers well know it and can keep salaries depressed.

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In my experience the social safety net doesn’t really matter for highly skilled workers making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. In terms of violence you’re statistically unlikely to be the victim of violent crime in the US as an upper class white collar worker.

It doesn't matter until it ends up mattering. Contracting an illness that prevents you from working and needs medical supervision can be life-ruining if your social security, etc. is tied to your employment.

Most corps carry long term disability insurance- I’d make more on that than an equivalent Euro paying job.

Now add in vacation and sick days, as well as the worker protections for things such as layoffs.

It's unfair, but I'm of the opinion US healthcare is much better if you have the means to pay for it.

Look at all the top surgeons and hospitals in the world for everything from neurosurgery to cancer treatment. They're all in the United States. The median level of care might be much better in Europe but they are behind when it comes to cutting edge treatments, rare diseases, and so on.

I'm an American living in the UK, and I've had to do medical tourism to the US. What I needed wasn't available outside the US at any price.

Yes. American health "care" is the best. Problem is with the "administration" that for basic stuff, there is crazy price gouging and no free market competition. It is ridiculous that you have to involve insurance in every visit to a doctor AND it's tied to your employer being able to provide something.

I got a bill from a lab last year that was for about $1200, and when insurance denied it as out-of-network (it wasn't, the lab and the insurance company had some billing procedure issues) it was less than $100 somehow.

Out of stubbornness, I fought with the lab for months to bill it correctly, and eventually got them to write it off by emailing the CEO.

Sums up our healthcare "administration" well. Unfortunately, I have done this a few times myself and what a colossal waste of time.

More like people just don't want to leave their life behind... Those listed things are like the bottom of the reasons

On the other hand, I know dozens of people that left their life and higher salaries in the US behind to come to the EU for those stated reasons.

Dozens even!

From my observation, the ratio of American Engineers coming to Europe vs Europeans Engineers coming to America is at least 1:10, if not more.

And most of the expats I know who did it seemed to be working for SV companies. So they didn't leave the higher salary behind.

Yes, it's definitely more than 1:10 overall. But those reasons to leave the US (unhealthy work load, less social safety, higher violence) are at the top of many people's minds when they move to Europe.

I can’t just move to the US. I’ve applied around 100 times and only brilliant.org replied and gave me an interview. All the other companies stated that Europeans don’t have permission to work in the US (and it wasn’t stated anywhere)

I would move to the USA if I could. As a European is that possible - e.g. don't you need a green card?

AFAIK the easiest way is to start working in EU for a company that has offices in US. Then you can transfer.

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