If we take the global perspective the quality of the state funded safety nets combined with the local culture and job market greatly affect what the implications of a lay-off are. And they can vary drastically.

For instance in the USA the economically worse off are in relative terms considerably more worse off than in countries with lower income inequality.

I just cannot believe you are arguing that in US you have a more hard time finding a job then in a less developed country like in Eastern Europe.

> You seem rather ignorant of the U.S. then.

To this type of a comment you can easily answer the same way. You madam or sir seem to be equally ignorant of Europe as well.

I don't think I argued that - but that the amount of economic options available to individuals should not be deduced from comparing GDP or such. I think in eastern europe most countries are still civilized enough to offer basic medical care without insurance?

Any way, I have no local knowledge of either issue ... I'm located in northern europe.

You seem rather ignorant of the U.S. then.

> fuck off

> learn some basic economics

Madam or mister, it seems you don't understand from my message the essence of it.

A valuable, reliable person with a salary that is not massively higher then it was 3 years ago (so I am mainly talking about inflation correction) will not be let off. As a younger man and when I did IT maintenance I had often found employes over 50 on jobs which were good enough to allow them to still keep their kids in colleges, allow them to be dressed nicely at work and so forth. They were on jobs which younger employes refused to take. They were desk jobs varying from constructions (estimates and offerings) to accounting to work safety management to human resourcing etc.

And just for your record, food here can and IS more expensive than in US. Clothes and electronics have the exact same price or are more expensive. Cars too are equally or more expensive (taking into consideration maintenance as well).

Please don't bring the economic aspect into discussion. You have a higher standard of living. That is a fact. Lower your standards a little if you are incompetent or lazy and you will be happy no matter what.

You live in a different culture. What works in your culture may not work in another culture. I don't think you quite understand the concept of income inequality.

> What works in your culture may not work in another culture.

Here, if you are not performing you are being sent away. So you have to perform in order to keep your job. Obviously, being able to perform beyond a certain age does not work in the US according to you.

Thank God the other massive part of US is not composed of people like yourself. If US doesn't understand the need of hard work (Okies and the Dust Bowl simply pops in my mind) that I don't know what other country does.

You and all of the people giving me negative feedback are in no way representative to US I believe.

One issue is that in most companies in the US most employees get annual salary increases, 5-6% is a common baseline for people who are doing their jobs well in a company that is successful. Sometimes people get much more.

This means that someone who had been getting annual increases for 20 years is paid approximately 4X as much as a new hire. In addition, their annual increases, being a more or less constant rate, are also 4X as much... and if the pattern continues, by the time they've been working 40 years they'll be making 16X as much as a new hire. Are older workers really that much more valuable? And if they are, as I think is often the case, will management see it when looking at their payroll expenses?

You might think one solution is too stop giving them raises, or even cut their pay, but there's a strong reluctance to do that, even if the employee is willing. Add to all of this a culture of youth, which exists in tech, and you can see a potential problem.

Note, however, that it's not universal. I'm 45 and have no concern about my employability. I work with many people who are much older than me, up into their late 60s, even. In my experience, good software engineers can find employment regardless of age, though it does get harder as your income rises. At some point people may need to either move into management or switch to freelancing, trading steady employment for a much higher wage, working for people who judge your cost against what you achieve for them.

Note that I've dramatically oversimplified the annual salary increase situation, but it's a useful approximation.

I respectfully disagree: most corporations offer 2 to 3 % increase for a good year end review. In other words, stay in line, and we'll match inflation. Consequently, you'll often find the new hire for a given job title making just as much as the guy that has been there for 5 years.

In contrast, you often only get a "real" raise when you change positions, or if your employer genuinely fears your chances in the current job market - for the moment. But then the problem with that is when the job market tanks, management will look to adjust the salaries of those they had to pay a premium to keep, usually by making it unbearable for them to stay.

Not every place is this volatile, but some are.

Given I'm an Australian, I'm merely pointing out to you that as you don't live in the U.S., it's very presumptuous for you to know what happens in a society you don't live in.

Basically your response confirms it. You really don't know what you are talking about.