"All other "protections" usually end up costing you someway or another." That's not really how you calculate compensation. You have to look at the salaries plu

"All other "protections" usually end up costing you someway or another." That's not really how you calculate compensation. You have to look at the salaries plus benefits. Usually people undervalue what the company can pay for them so more benefits usually means greater compensation. There's plenty of people in the US who accept salaries where they can't gracefully handle getting sick, unemployed or having a family. "Mandatory vacation days are converted to lower salaries." You can usually get this as cash compensation instead, they just can't force you to do so. In contrast to "unlimited vacation" that some startups have where you don't get anything if you work more. "Maternity leave makes it more difficult for young married women to find a job." This is a much longer conversation, but more than anything I would say that it's cultural. I know many women who have both successful careers and had maternity leave. But then maternity leave is usually paid by the government. "Mandatory Insurances and Pensions are simply calculated in to the "cost of employment", reducing the actual salary." Usually get more for the money. "Not being able to fire a worker means much higher hiring standards, and make it a lot more difficult for inexperienced workers to find a job." You can still usually be fired during a grace period, something like six months, or you can work as a contractor.