> Obviously they can do what they want

Not in the most of the civilized world, no.

That someone agrees to something doesn't mean it does them any good. And while everyone is (or should be) free to accept bad deals, other people should be banned from proposing at least the most harmful ones. Hence the laws and regulations regarding employment, salaries and so on.

Well, this is from a European perspective, where there actually are such laws.

And what is unemployment in article's subject's age group in the Eurozone?

So if I hire someone, it's my responsibility to find out their living situation and expenses and calculate if they can afford to live on what I'm paying them? Personally, if an employer tried to violate my privacy that way in the interest of protecting me from myself, I'd walk.

No one is suggesting anything of the sort. An employer already does research into what generally is the normal pay and costs of living for their area. So generally speaking they know if the pay they are offering would put a zero asset person near the poverty line.

Isn't there room in the economy for jobs that aren't for people fully supporting themselves? Part time call center work would be an ideal high school/college job.

Right, so there are situations where it's not a bad thing. But let's get real, we know we're not talking about hiring teenage kids for after school work. That's not the core problem and not why people are discussing this. And that's something employers can account for during the hiring process.

I'm not willing to concede that - it's a call center job. The expected turnover in call centers is likely the same as fast food at < 1 year.

Here's how the hiring process went for this particular job: she walked in off the street and they hired her the same day. Does that sound like the hiring process you're familiar with for any job with a career path?

If Talia had applied at McDonalds and then complained the way she did, do you think her argument would be more or less valid?

I suspect were not going to agree and that's ok.

Everyone has different priorities and there's no shortage of companies putting a priority on profits/growth over taking the time or risking costs associated with looking out for others within our company or communities. I've avoided discussing Talias case because I think the problem is bigger than that. Even McDonalds shouldn't pay poverty like wages for their area. Even McDonalds can spend the time to find out if they're hiring a person just looking for supplemental income.

Also, maybe the turnover wouldn't be so high if they paid better.