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I think the unemployment system is dysfunctional. There is stigma attached to collecting unemployment and it is really crazy. This whole thing needs to be reformed.
First of all we pay through our employers some money towards unemployment insurance..so this not welfare. This is insurance that employers buy to pay people who lose jobs for no fault. No congressman or any politician has a right to block this.
Second unemployment insurance is not enough. Employers should float their own insurance in addition to unemployment insurance...that pays moneys equal to the salary that is lost. For example if I am earning 5k every month and i am getting 2k from unemployment this insurance should pay me 3k so that I get equal amount to my salary. This should be for one year or two years depending on the insurance premiums.
Unless we get the money equivalent to our salary how can we honor our committments. Especially defaulting on the committments related to mortgage payments and children can seriously impair the life, self esteem and health of workers. Unless we get support equal to our lost pay how can we educate and retrain ourselves for good jobs or atleast get jobs with the same salary. We cannot maintain a positive attitude and try for good jobs if we are hurting financially.
Once unemployment benefits stop irrespective of my two decades of education and ten or more years of experience working for fortune 500 companies I will forced to seek jobs at a wallmart or a 7-11. That will put people on a downward spiral and it is a great loss of education and personal resources. Why one should study for decades to end up at Wallmart. This situation does not make sense.
The government , our elected officials, senetors instead of fighting and bickering should find ways so that workers in this country can survive. The most important thing is to look at this whole thing in a positive way and introduce better insurance systems so that workers can adopt to the changing environment and society.
They cannot CREATE new jobs so easily but atleast they can fix the insurance system so that people are sane and can handle this situation in a better way.
i think the unemployment system is dysfunctional. There is stigma attached to collecting unemployment and it is really crazy. This whole thing needs to be reformed.
First of all we pay through our employers some money towards unemployment insurance..so this not welfare. This is insurance that employers buy to pay people who lose jobs for no fault. No congressman or any politician has a right to block this.
Second unemployment insurance is not enough. Employers should float their own insurance in addition to unemployment insurance...that pays moneys equal to the salary that is lost. For example if i am earning 5k every month and i am getting 2k from unemployment this insurance should pay me 3k so that i get equal amount to my salary. This should be for one year or two years depending on the insurance premiums.
Unless we get the money equivalent to our salary how can we honor our committments. Especially defaulting on the committments related to mortgage payments and children can seriously impair the life, self esteem and health of workers. Unless we get support equal to our lost pay how can we educate and retrain ourselves for good jobs or atleast get jobs with the same salary. We cannot maintain a positive attitude and try for good jobs if we are hurting financially.
Once unemployment benefits stop irrespective of my two decades of education and ten or more years of experience working for fortune 500 companies i will forced to seek jobs at a wallmart or a 7-11. That will put people on a downward spiral and it is a great loss of education and personal resources. Why one should study for decades to end up at wallmart. This situation does not make sense.
The government , our elected officials, senetors instead of fighting and bickering should find ways so that workers in this country can survive. The most important thing is to look at this whole thing in a positive way and introduce better insurance systems so that workers can adopt to the changing environment and society.
They cannot create new jobs so easily but atleast they can fix the insurance system so that people are sane and can handle this situation in a better way.
Interesting, maybe insurance companies should offer individual "unemployment insurance" policies to cover the part of your pay that UI doesn't cover, kind of like AFLAC for health insurance. Part of the reason for UI was exactly what you're talking about; to prevent a "race to the bottom" where all the best and brightest end up at WalMart and 7-11 and the rest are permanently unemployable.
I think the unemployment system is dysfunctional. There is stigma attached to collecting unemployment and it is really crazy. This whole thing needs to be reformed.
First of all we pay through our employers some money towards unemployment insurance..so this not welfare. This is insurance that employers buy to pay people who lose jobs for no fault. No congressman or any politician has a right to block this.
Second unemployment insurance is not enough. Employers should float their own insurance in addition to unemployment insurance...that pays moneys equal to the salary that is lost. For example if I am earning 5k every month and i am getting 2k from unemployment this insurance should pay me 3k so that I get equal amount to my salary. This should be for one year or two years depending on the insurance premiums.
Unless we get the money equivalent to our salary how can we honor our committments. Especially defaulting on the committments related to mortgage payments and children can seriously impair the life, self esteem and health of workers. Unless we get support equal to our lost pay how can we educate and retrain ourselves for good jobs or atleast get jobs with the same salary. We cannot maintain a positive attitude and try for good jobs if we are hurting financially.
Once unemployment benefits stop irrespective of my two decades of education and ten or more years of experience working for fortune 500 companies I will forced to seek jobs at a wallmart or a 7-11. That will put people on a downward spiral and it is a great loss of education and personal resources. Why one should study for decades to end up at Wallmart. This situation does not make sense.
The government , our elected officials, senetors instead of fighting and bickering should find ways so that workers in this country can survive. The most important thing is to look at this whole thing in a positive way and introduce better insurance systems so that workers can adopt to the changing environment and society.
They cannot CREATE new jobs so easily but atleast they can fix the insurance system so that people are sane and can handle this situation in a better way.
Actually, only a small percentage of U.S. workers pay into unemployment. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers in only three states -- Alaska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania -- pay into unemployment. Workers in the remaining 47 states do not pay into unemployment. Comparison of State Unemployment Laws
Many people mistakenly think that Unemployment Insurance works like Social Security -- that the employer and the employee both pay in and that the funds are credited to a personal account for each employee. Not true.
Even in the three states where employees do pay Unemployment taxes, those payments do not accrue for that individual employee -- and the amount paid has no effect on the amount of Unemployment Insurance benefits that employee may receive.
So when those 'other' people need assistance it's ok to call them lazy bums, but when you need assistance there should be reform so that you don't have to put up with any 'stigma.' Brilliant.
The system described in the OP sounds like socialism and is in use in many European countries which have socialized higher education, medical care and retirement. No one needs to worry about any of those very basic things. I understand there is no limit to the length of time one can collect unemployment benefits in Germany. I've thought for some time now that full blown, every man for himself capitalism no longer works in this country because it is too vast and too heavily populated and our economy is global. Period.
The United States is very much behind the curve in its safety nets. While I think full salary when unemployed is too aggressive, 60% or 70%, such as what disability insurance policies pay, might be an option. But the insurance companies make you jump through hoops to collect on that. Corporate funded insurance for unemployment will never happen in the United States which is why the state and federal governments do it.
Corporate greed and politicians being what they are, it will be a very long time before anything in the US changes. If I were younger, I would leave the country - honestly.
Actually, that's not true. Unemployment benefits are limited to two years in Germany. After that it's welfare aka "Hartz IV."
However, even on welfare you will be guaranteed adequate housing, food, electricity/water/heating, and full health insurance (no copays, deductibles, etc.). Plus Germany's world-class, public educational system (school, universities) has always been for free.
On German welfare you will not have enough money to afford a car but instead will have to rely on the most excellent public transportation system.
P.S.: Germany's highest paid executives (think Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Bank, etc.) make around $5-6M per year. No $20-100M/a CEOs in Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariadne22
[...] I understand there is no limit to the length of time one can collect unemployment benefits in Germany. [...] If I were younger, I would leave the country - honestly.
Yep,individauls buying unemployemnt makes alot of sense in many ways.I could be structured much more efficent than the one now where so many collect for 6 mos and work for 6 mos etc. Really help the perosn find a job while no stigma.Right now aht has happened is unemployemnt funding by employers ran otu long ago.
Last week a German college student told me that most German workers have a written contract of employment so that it is much harder for the employer to lay the workers off. She was quite surprised when I explained to her that most of the U.S. states have an "at will" hiring policy, which really offers the employee very little protection. It's also my understanding that Germany has a much more liberal vacation/sick day policy. Really makes me wonder what it's all about here in the U.S.
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