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I would love to read a European, perhaps Swedish version of this article. 12+ months of unemployment insurance is standard here. I guess it doesn't take the lon

I would love to read a European, perhaps Swedish version of this article. 12+ months of unemployment insurance is standard here. I guess it doesn't take the loneliness away, but might make unemployment less traumatic.

the_af 4y ago
I really liked the article, one of the few on this subject that doesn't feel like self-help or a humble brag. So kudos to the author. That said, like you, I wonder if this is an American thing. It feels to me as if many Americans are one job away from total collapse, like their country is only ok for people with a good employment and an utter nightmare for everyone else, with no safety net at all except your own savings. With that in mind, a year without a job prospect would indeed seem like living in hell.
- belfalas 4y ago
  >It feels to me as if many Americans are one job away from total collapse, like their country is only ok for people with a good employment and an utter nightmare for everyone else, with no safety net at all except your own savings. Yes, that is pretty much correct. Many many Americans, even ones considered well-off, live a threadbare existence. To Europeans it's unfathomable what can happen in the United States but it's just as bad as you think if not worse. There is literally no bottom in this society, there's no limits to the depths you can fall.
- gorbachev 4y ago
  https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/56percent-of-americans-cant-cover-a-1000-emergency-expense-with-savings.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/56percent-of-americans-cant-...
system2 4y ago
In some cases unemployment means hunger, homelessness, or even death. Those Swedish people live on another planet.
fatnoah 4y ago
Looking at the internet, it looks like Sweden supports 300 days of unemployment benefits that max out at 1200 SEK/day (about $115 US). In the US, one can receive up to 210 days of unemployment with a max benefit of $145/week. So yes, there is unemployment insurance in the US, and it pays almost 30% more than in Sweden. There is a HUGE gotcha, though, and that's the cost of health insurance. Unless the former employer is subsidizing, that costs about $400-700/month. There are, in general, far fewer social welfare services to rely on as well.
- inkcapmushroom 4y ago
  I think you just compared a daily rate to a weekly rate, if I'm reading correctly? Which would make the US rates very small in comparison, especially combined with health insurance as you describe.
- subrat_rout 4y ago
  If Sweden pays $115/day then it comes about $575/week. And if US pays $145/week how it is 30% more than Sweden?
  - fatnoah 4y ago
    Sorry, it's $145/day
- fatnoah 4y ago
  It's too late to edit, but the US rate is $145/day, not $145/week. Mea culpa

the_af 4y ago

I really liked the article, one of the few on this subject that doesn't feel like self-help or a humble brag. So kudos to the author. That said, like you, I wonder if this is an American thing. It feels to me as if many Americans are one job away from total collapse, like their country is only ok for people with a good employment and an utter nightmare for everyone else, with no safety net at all except your own savings. With that in mind, a year without a job prospect would indeed seem like living in hell.

belfalas 4y ago
>It feels to me as if many Americans are one job away from total collapse, like their country is only ok for people with a good employment and an utter nightmare for everyone else, with no safety net at all except your own savings. Yes, that is pretty much correct. Many many Americans, even ones considered well-off, live a threadbare existence. To Europeans it's unfathomable what can happen in the United States but it's just as bad as you think if not worse. There is literally no bottom in this society, there's no limits to the depths you can fall.
gorbachev 4y ago
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/56percent-of-americans-cant-cover-a-1000-emergency-expense-with-savings.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/56percent-of-americans-cant-...

system2 4y ago

In some cases unemployment means hunger, homelessness, or even death. Those Swedish people live on another planet.

fatnoah 4y ago

Looking at the internet, it looks like Sweden supports 300 days of unemployment benefits that max out at 1200 SEK/day (about $115 US). In the US, one can receive up to 210 days of unemployment with a max benefit of $145/week. So yes, there is unemployment insurance in the US, and it pays almost 30% more than in Sweden. There is a HUGE gotcha, though, and that's the cost of health insurance. Unless the former employer is subsidizing, that costs about $400-700/month. There are, in general, far fewer social welfare services to rely on as well.

inkcapmushroom 4y ago
I think you just compared a daily rate to a weekly rate, if I'm reading correctly? Which would make the US rates very small in comparison, especially combined with health insurance as you describe.
subrat_rout 4y ago
If Sweden pays $115/day then it comes about $575/week. And if US pays $145/week how it is 30% more than Sweden?
- fatnoah 4y ago
  Sorry, it's $145/day
fatnoah 4y ago
It's too late to edit, but the US rate is $145/day, not $145/week. Mea culpa