|
Post by westlandstokie on Mar 14, 2024 11:27:29 GMT
There must be a good percentage of folk in their late 50’s or early 60’s at the time of the pandemic who decided to take early retirement which put up the figures Definitely…I know a few personally. I’ve just hit 60 and having being made redundant in July 23 from a job I really enjoyed I’ve found it difficult to settle down in a job. I’m working now but it really gets harder as you get older…I’m looking at downsizing the house, buying something much smaller and getting a motorhome. I want to spend the UK winters in Spain or similar and come back for the UK summers. The Mrs ain’t too keen but she is slowly coming around to the idea. I’ve even thought about not buying a smaller house and living full time in a nice motorhome…I’ve done my share of work and I’m worn out mentally and physically…time to enjoy what time I’ve got left…and on that cheerful note lol.
|
|
|
Post by musik on Mar 14, 2024 13:05:25 GMT
Simplified example If person A gets a £2500 wage per month but the value of that work is only £600, then he/she is overpaid by £1900 - which is a societal cost. It would be much better to give the person only £1000, to do nothing. I think it's valuable that people work Maybe it'd be better if they kept the £1000 but could still do an extra £600 work and keep that cash. At least they'd realise the value of some of their money. I don't think private jobs do the thing where they pay £2500 for £600 value though. Absolutely! Work is character building and the harder the better. I must admit my previous post was a bit over simplified. And again, I can only speak for the Swedish labour market, which I know very well. I'm actually writing about the consequences we see from work. We have come to a situation where we can't afford to pay people if they work more on the margin. Therefore, one sector really growing in Sweden is the volunteer work. I know people who have gone from full time average paid work to volunteer work 40 hours per week instead (and economically relying only on the person they live with). Just to help the society, and to bring down the societal costs corresponding to having people paid for work. So being an immigrant in Sweden must be like .... Hell. If you do not work you'll get the blame for being a lazy b@stard and not willing to learn the language - and if you do work, you are the one to blame for taking the Swedes' jobs AND causing the societal costs corresponding to work payment to fly over the roof due to written agreements on the labour markets et cetera. When I mention "value" here, I don't mean the nominal value an indvidual or an individual company gets as a profit from that work, I'm talking about the societal eventual value from that work in a broader perspective.
|
|
|
Post by mrcoke on Mar 15, 2024 14:00:23 GMT
This is a shocking statistic, but begs the question why?
I've read some of the "explanations " above, but is there any definitive report/paper analysing the topic?
Clearly there is a huge backlog of long term sickness arising from the pandemic and a decade of austerity. There is also a high level of immigration but this is largely students, dependants, refugees from Ukraine, Hongkongers, and workers with permits to fill jobs there are not enough UK citizens wanting to do.
There are a very high level of vacancies and there are a lot of over 50s who decided to retire during the pandemic and not go back to the "rat race".
There are a record number of young people out of work. Why? Probably the main reasons are they are not qualified to do the jobs that need filling, and that they don't want to work in harvesting, slaughter houses, chicken farms, refuse collection, etc.
I was shocked to read recently that many young people joke about not working on social media - is this true?
I was talking to a young guy from Burslem (not a footie fan) yesterday, who works in electrical engineering/computing and travels all over - Scotland, Ireland, South Wales and all over England. He told me he doesn't like all the travel, but it goes with the job. His company can't get people because people don't want to do the traveling and sleep away from home.
Another reason I've thought of is the shortage of jobs for youngsters that we did in my young days. Paper round, working in shops and garages selling petrol, etc. Then there is breeding the work ethic; I and my sister didn't get any pocket money if we didn't make our beds, keep our bedrooms tidy, wash the dishes after meals, etc.
|
|
|
Post by wannabee on Mar 15, 2024 14:46:50 GMT
This is a shocking statistic, but begs the question why? I've read some of the "explanations " above, but is there any definitive report/paper analysing the topic? Clearly there is a huge backlog of long term sickness arising from the pandemic and a decade of austerity. There is also a high level of immigration but this is largely students, dependants, refugees from Ukraine, Hongkongers, and workers with permits to fill jobs there are not enough UK citizens wanting to do. There are a very high level of vacancies and there are a lot of over 50s who decided to retire during the pandemic and not go back to the "rat race". There are a record number of young people out of work. Why? Probably the main reasons are they are not qualified to do the jobs that need filling, and that they don't want to work in harvesting, slaughter houses, chicken farms, refuse collection, etc. I was shocked to read recently that many young people joke about not working on social media - is this true? I was talking to a young guy from Burslem (not a footie fan) yesterday, who works in electrical engineering/computing and travels all over - Scotland, Ireland, South Wales and all over England. He told me he doesn't like all the travel, but it goes with the job. His company can't get people because people don't want to do the traveling and sleep away from home. Another reason I've thought of is the shortage of jobs for youngsters that we did in my young days. Paper round, working in shops and garages selling petrol, etc. Then there is breeding the work ethic; I and my sister didn't get any pocket money if we didn't make our beds, keep our bedrooms tidy, wash the dishes after meals, etc. I'm not sure why you're shocked it's always been this high and higher although trending downwards up to 2019 Yes there has been analysis of the reason the main one being long term illness with an 8M NHS Waiting List You then like others go on to list a whole bunch of people who are not part of Economic Inactivity Statistics etc.g.Students, Refugees from Ukraine, Hong-Kongers and workers with permits whoever they may be. The number of vacancies is easily manipulated Companies like to advertise they have a large number of vacancies to show their wellbeing but whether this translates to hiring is a different matter. I do agree with you on a skills shortage and this is directly related to curriculum and vocation teaching
|
|
|
Post by AlliG on Mar 15, 2024 14:47:47 GMT
There must be a good percentage of folk in their late 50’s or early 60’s at the time of the pandemic who decided to take early retirement which put up the figures Definitely…I know a few personally. I’ve just hit 60 and having being made redundant in July 23 from a job I really enjoyed I’ve found it difficult to settle down in a job. I’m working now but it really gets harder as you get older…I’m looking at downsizing the house, buying something much smaller and getting a motorhome. I want to spend the UK winters in Spain or similar and come back for the UK summers. The Mrs ain’t too keen but she is slowly coming around to the idea. I’ve even thought about not buying a smaller house and living full time in a nice motorhome…I’ve done my share of work and I’m worn out mentally and physically…time to enjoy what time I’ve got left…and on that cheerful note lol. I know the feeling. I was made redundant in my late 50s after 38 years with the same company when my office was closed (before lockdown) and have been "economically inactive" since. In the 2 or 3 years prior to my redundancy a number of colleagues in their early 60s had either died or suffered life changing illnesses and I was feeling mentally drained and had a number of RSI related issues, so I saw redundancy as an opportunity to review my life choices for the future. (Must also have swallowed the management speak guide book ) Having spent years working with spreadsheets and projections, I put that experience to good use and built a number of income and expenditure projection spreadsheets (up to age 100) and quickly realised that I could live within my means and therefore work was no longer a financial imperative. I haven't claimed any benefits since 1978 and am not yet state pension age, so I don't see myself as a "drain on the public purse" but rather as someone who is leaving an opportunity for younger or needier members of society. Two months before I finished work I started to draft a CV, just in case. 7 years later it still only consists of my name, which I guess proves that I have no regrets about the decision. I have never been bothered with "conspicuous expenditure" or making detailed long term plans but I can now provide ad-hoc care to my elderly mother and DIY and other help to my kids whenever needed as well as spending a few hours every day walking the local canal and doing basically whatever I want, when I want. I am more content with my life than I can ever remember. If you can afford to, then go for it. I don't know anyone who made the decision and regretted it.
|
|
|
Post by rickyfullerbeer on Mar 15, 2024 17:43:08 GMT
Many more opportunities to make money online which young people are more interested in, in comparison to working crap hours for minimum wage in a warehouse/the care sector which is what is on offer in Stoke-on-Trent.
|
|
|
Post by mickeythemaestro on Mar 15, 2024 18:29:16 GMT
Many more opportunities to make money online which young people are more interested in, in comparison to working crap hours for minimum wage in a warehouse/the care sector which is what is on offer in Stoke-on-Trent. And this "only fans" shyte where birds just whip their kippers out, get paid loads and don't even need to leave their bedrooms. So I'm told anyway........ Fucking state of the world
|
|
|
Post by rickyfullerbeer on Mar 15, 2024 19:52:56 GMT
I was reading an article about the culture/economy of South Korea not long ago. An insanely competitive jobs market at the top end with thousands spent on extra-curricular stuff for children as not to fall behind and putting themselves in debt to be able to afford it, ridiculously long working hours with non-working hours spent on furthering their education and a severe decline in population due to the obsession of getting into these top end jobs. It sounded absolutely wank.
Their government have spent billions and billions trying to insentivise the population to have more children to address the decline but they don't want it becuase it puts them on the back foot career wise.
And the article didn't even use a 'South Career' pun. Journalism my arse.
|
|
|
Post by thehartshillbadger on Mar 15, 2024 19:55:48 GMT
Many more opportunities to make money online which young people are more interested in, in comparison to working crap hours for minimum wage in a warehouse/the care sector which is what is on offer in Stoke-on-Trent. And this "only fans" shyte where birds just whip their kippers out, get paid loads and don't even need to leave their bedrooms. So I'm told anyway........ Fucking state of the world I make just enough with that to keep my head above water. It’s not all diamond jewellery and fancy cars you know😉
|
|
|
Post by RedandWhite90 on Mar 15, 2024 19:56:48 GMT
I was reading an article about the culture/economy of South Korea not long ago. An insanely competitive jobs market at the top end with thousands spent on extra-curricular stuff for children as not to fall behind and putting themselves in debt to be able to afford it, ridiculously long working hours with non-working hours spent on furthering their education and a severe decline in population due to the obsession of getting into these top end jobs. It sounded absolutely wank. Their government have spent billions and billions trying to insentivise the population to have more children to address the decline but they don't want it becuase it puts them on the back foot career wise. And the article didn't even use a 'South Career' pun. Journalism my arse. Sounds Seoul destroying when you think about it.
|
|
|
Post by Paul Spencer on Mar 15, 2024 19:58:29 GMT
I was reading an article about the culture/economy of South Korea not long ago. An insanely competitive jobs market at the top end with thousands spent on extra-curricular stuff for children as not to fall behind and putting themselves in debt to be able to afford it, ridiculously long working hours with non-working hours spent on furthering their education and a severe decline in population due to the obsession of getting into these top end jobs. It sounded absolutely wank. Their government have spent billions and billions trying to insentivise the population to have more children to address the decline but they don't want it becuase it puts them on the back foot career wise. And the article didn't even use a 'South Career' pun. Journalism my arse. Sounds Seoul destroying when you think about it. Immediate ban! 🤦♂️😄
|
|
|
Post by mickeythemaestro on Mar 15, 2024 20:00:25 GMT
I was reading an article about the culture/economy of South Korea not long ago. An insanely competitive jobs market at the top end with thousands spent on extra-curricular stuff for children as not to fall behind and putting themselves in debt to be able to afford it, ridiculously long working hours with non-working hours spent on furthering their education and a severe decline in population due to the obsession of getting into these top end jobs. It sounded absolutely wank. Their government have spent billions and billions trying to insentivise the population to have more children to address the decline but they don't want it becuase it puts them on the back foot career wise. And the article didn't even use a 'South Career' pun. Journalism my arse. Slowly but surely making it impossible to have kids and a traditional family structure. And this is going on world wide not just South Korea. Western world anyway. By design or just the way the world is going? We've lost our way if you ask me..
|
|
|
Post by henry on Mar 15, 2024 22:27:56 GMT
This country has sewn itself into a straight jacket from the late 90's onwards. It became easier to get a degree in media studies than get an HNC in electrical engineering. If you think things are shit now, wait till the old guard die off.
|
|
|
Post by desman2 on Mar 15, 2024 23:51:14 GMT
Up until the late 90s, early 2000s you had Nursing schools on every hospital. When they got an intake they were employed and got a salary while they went through the course. Then Blair and is education education education decided that university was better and as a result created a three year gap in the nursing profession which was then filled by pilfering developing states for their nurses and midwives. The constant supply of new nurses dried up and we then got the " shortage of nurses " mantra peddled out. In 2016 the government removed the NHS bursary scheme thus resulting in potential nursing students going in other directions. Our glorious government replaced salay paid student nurses to students shelling out 15 to 30,000 to get the registration qualification and working for free on placements. We don't have a shortage of nurses and midwives or potential ones. They have been priced out of the market by our thick as shit politicians.
|
|
|
Post by duckling on Mar 16, 2024 7:55:09 GMT
I’m not surprised by this: "To get inactivity down government needs to look at childcare, transport and address NHS waiting lists“. Childcare is ludicrously expensive for a start. For many, I can see why it’s not actually worth going into work. It’s also a barrier for population growth that sees developed countries lean on immigration to prop up the number of taxpayers. I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the United States childcare is so expensive that it often costs more for a parent to work because their earnings would not be able to cover childcare. It's pretty common for one parent to quit working after the 2nd or 3rd child because being a stay at home parent is more economical.
|
|
|
Post by cobhamstokey on Mar 16, 2024 8:23:18 GMT
I’m not surprised by this: "To get inactivity down government needs to look at childcare, transport and address NHS waiting lists“. Childcare is ludicrously expensive for a start. For many, I can see why it’s not actually worth going into work. It’s also a barrier for population growth that sees developed countries lean on immigration to prop up the number of taxpayers. I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the United States childcare is so expensive that it often costs more for a parent to work because their earnings would not be able to cover childcare. It's pretty common for one parent to quit working after the 2nd or 3rd child because being a stay at home parent is more economical. It’s pretty much the same here. Incredibly expensive. It does feel like those that don’t choose to work are most likely to want and have children because they have less to lose in relation to lifestyle. Those on better incomes don’t seem to want to have children because the sacrifice to their lifestyle is greater and they have further to fall financially with the sacrifices being to great in relation to what they can give with only one parent working and what they lose with half the income. Not the case for all of course.
|
|
|
Post by CBUFAWKIPWH on Mar 16, 2024 8:58:43 GMT
Definitely…I know a few personally. I’ve just hit 60 and having being made redundant in July 23 from a job I really enjoyed I’ve found it difficult to settle down in a job. I’m working now but it really gets harder as you get older…I’m looking at downsizing the house, buying something much smaller and getting a motorhome. I want to spend the UK winters in Spain or similar and come back for the UK summers. The Mrs ain’t too keen but she is slowly coming around to the idea. I’ve even thought about not buying a smaller house and living full time in a nice motorhome…I’ve done my share of work and I’m worn out mentally and physically…time to enjoy what time I’ve got left…and on that cheerful note lol. I know the feeling. I was made redundant in my late 50s after 38 years with the same company when my office was closed (before lockdown) and have been "economically inactive" since. In the 2 or 3 years prior to my redundancy a number of colleagues in their early 60s had either died or suffered life changing illnesses and I was feeling mentally drained and had a number of RSI related issues, so I saw redundancy as an opportunity to review my life choices for the future. (Must also have swallowed the management speak guide book ) Having spent years working with spreadsheets and projections, I put that experience to good use and built a number of income and expenditure projection spreadsheets (up to age 100) and quickly realised that I could live within my means and therefore work was no longer a financial imperative. I haven't claimed any benefits since 1978 and am not yet state pension age, so I don't see myself as a "drain on the public purse" but rather as someone who is leaving an opportunity for younger or needier members of society. Two months before I finished work I started to draft a CV, just in case. 7 years later it still only consists of my name, which I guess proves that I have no regrets about the decision. I have never been bothered with "conspicuous expenditure" or making detailed long term plans but I can now provide ad-hoc care to my elderly mother and DIY and other help to my kids whenever needed as well as spending a few hours every day walking the local canal and doing basically whatever I want, when I want. I am more content with my life than I can ever remember. If you can afford to, then go for it. I don't know anyone who made the decision and regretted it. Same here. I made the decision to retire in my late 50s just before COVID hit and have never regretted it for an instant. I took a hit on my work pension but worked out I could live off it and get along fine. A contributing factor on the decision was that a friend of mine retired at 66 and died of cancer a year later. Carrying on working becomes a matter of diminishing returns - there is no point whittling your time away doing something you no longer enjoy. I don't feel in the slightest guilty about being "economically inactive". I've done my stint and at the moment take nothing from the state and as far as I'm concerned I will have earned my state pension when I come to draw it.
|
|
|
Post by deeside2 on Mar 16, 2024 9:15:57 GMT
I know the feeling. I was made redundant in my late 50s after 38 years with the same company when my office was closed (before lockdown) and have been "economically inactive" since. In the 2 or 3 years prior to my redundancy a number of colleagues in their early 60s had either died or suffered life changing illnesses and I was feeling mentally drained and had a number of RSI related issues, so I saw redundancy as an opportunity to review my life choices for the future. (Must also have swallowed the management speak guide book ) Having spent years working with spreadsheets and projections, I put that experience to good use and built a number of income and expenditure projection spreadsheets (up to age 100) and quickly realised that I could live within my means and therefore work was no longer a financial imperative. I haven't claimed any benefits since 1978 and am not yet state pension age, so I don't see myself as a "drain on the public purse" but rather as someone who is leaving an opportunity for younger or needier members of society. Two months before I finished work I started to draft a CV, just in case. 7 years later it still only consists of my name, which I guess proves that I have no regrets about the decision. I have never been bothered with "conspicuous expenditure" or making detailed long term plans but I can now provide ad-hoc care to my elderly mother and DIY and other help to my kids whenever needed as well as spending a few hours every day walking the local canal and doing basically whatever I want, when I want. I am more content with my life than I can ever remember. If you can afford to, then go for it. I don't know anyone who made the decision and regretted it. Same here. I made the decision to retire in my late 50s just before COVID hit and have never regretted it for an instant. I took a hit on my work pension but worked out I could live off it and get along fine. A contributing factor on the decision was that a friend of mine retired at 66 and died of cancer a year later. Carrying on working becomes a matter of diminishing returns - there is no point whittling your time away doing something you no longer enjoy. I don't feel in the slightest guilty about being "economically inactive". I've done my stint and at the moment take nothing from the state and as far as I'm concerned I will have earned my state pension when I come to draw it. Same here. I took voluntary redundancy a few years ago at 57 after just over 40 years with the same company. Like you I took a hit on my pension, but I'd previously been contributing as much as possible into my pension pot for the previous 15 to 20 years. I had various fairly stressful jobs with the company which all also involved very frequent foreign travel and I was absolutely worn out. I worked out that my redundancy pay-off and pension lump sum, plus what savings we had, would enable us to be okay. Similarly to you two of my colleagues died soon after retiring (a French colleague died the week after retiring !) which helped my decision. I've taken nothing from the state and have only recently started taking my state pension.
|
|
|
Post by westlandstokie on Mar 16, 2024 10:19:35 GMT
Definitely…I know a few personally. I’ve just hit 60 and having being made redundant in July 23 from a job I really enjoyed I’ve found it difficult to settle down in a job. I’m working now but it really gets harder as you get older…I’m looking at downsizing the house, buying something much smaller and getting a motorhome. I want to spend the UK winters in Spain or similar and come back for the UK summers. The Mrs ain’t too keen but she is slowly coming around to the idea. I’ve even thought about not buying a smaller house and living full time in a nice motorhome…I’ve done my share of work and I’m worn out mentally and physically…time to enjoy what time I’ve got left…and on that cheerful note lol. I know the feeling. I was made redundant in my late 50s after 38 years with the same company when my office was closed (before lockdown) and have been "economically inactive" since. In the 2 or 3 years prior to my redundancy a number of colleagues in their early 60s had either died or suffered life changing illnesses and I was feeling mentally drained and had a number of RSI related issues, so I saw redundancy as an opportunity to review my life choices for the future. (Must also have swallowed the management speak guide book ) Having spent years working with spreadsheets and projections, I put that experience to good use and built a number of income and expenditure projection spreadsheets (up to age 100) and quickly realised that I could live within my means and therefore work was no longer a financial imperative. I haven't claimed any benefits since 1978 and am not yet state pension age, so I don't see myself as a "drain on the public purse" but rather as someone who is leaving an opportunity for younger or needier members of society. Two months before I finished work I started to draft a CV, just in case. 7 years later it still only consists of my name, which I guess proves that I have no regrets about the decision. I have never been bothered with "conspicuous expenditure" or making detailed long term plans but I can now provide ad-hoc care to my elderly mother and DIY and other help to my kids whenever needed as well as spending a few hours every day walking the local canal and doing basically whatever I want, when I want. I am more content with my life than I can ever remember. If you can afford to, then go for it. I don't know anyone who made the decision and regretted it. Seems like you are enjoying life…well done 👍
|
|
|
Post by desman2 on Mar 16, 2024 12:20:52 GMT
I know the feeling. I was made redundant in my late 50s after 38 years with the same company when my office was closed (before lockdown) and have been "economically inactive" since. In the 2 or 3 years prior to my redundancy a number of colleagues in their early 60s had either died or suffered life changing illnesses and I was feeling mentally drained and had a number of RSI related issues, so I saw redundancy as an opportunity to review my life choices for the future. (Must also have swallowed the management speak guide book ) Having spent years working with spreadsheets and projections, I put that experience to good use and built a number of income and expenditure projection spreadsheets (up to age 100) and quickly realised that I could live within my means and therefore work was no longer a financial imperative. I haven't claimed any benefits since 1978 and am not yet state pension age, so I don't see myself as a "drain on the public purse" but rather as someone who is leaving an opportunity for younger or needier members of society. Two months before I finished work I started to draft a CV, just in case. 7 years later it still only consists of my name, which I guess proves that I have no regrets about the decision. I have never been bothered with "conspicuous expenditure" or making detailed long term plans but I can now provide ad-hoc care to my elderly mother and DIY and other help to my kids whenever needed as well as spending a few hours every day walking the local canal and doing basically whatever I want, when I want. I am more content with my life than I can ever remember. If you can afford to, then go for it. I don't know anyone who made the decision and regretted it. Same here. I made the decision to retire in my late 50s just before COVID hit and have never regretted it for an instant. I took a hit on my work pension but worked out I could live off it and get along fine. A contributing factor on the decision was that a friend of mine retired at 66 and died of cancer a year later. Carrying on working becomes a matter of diminishing returns - there is no point whittling your time away doing something you no longer enjoy. I don't feel in the slightest guilty about being "economically inactive". I've done my stint and at the moment take nothing from the state and as far as I'm concerned I will have earned my state pension when I come to draw it. Did the same thing myself. Never looked back. Even started my own small business which brings in some income and the rest is funded by old pension schemes which I draw off. I don't know about your own thoughts but i've found I spend less now than when I was working. As for when the state pension comes along, you should most certainly not be guilty of anything as you spent your working life paying into it.
|
|
|
Post by chuffedstokie on Mar 16, 2024 13:38:15 GMT
Same here. I made the decision to retire in my late 50s just before COVID hit and have never regretted it for an instant. I took a hit on my work pension but worked out I could live off it and get along fine. A contributing factor on the decision was that a friend of mine retired at 66 and died of cancer a year later. Carrying on working becomes a matter of diminishing returns - there is no point whittling your time away doing something you no longer enjoy. I don't feel in the slightest guilty about being "economically inactive". I've done my stint and at the moment take nothing from the state and as far as I'm concerned I will have earned my state pension when I come to draw it. Did the same thing myself. Never looked back. Even started my own small business which brings in some income and the rest is funded by old pension schemes which I draw off. I don't know about your own thoughts but i've found I spend less now than when I was working. As for when the state pension comes along, you should most certainly not be guilty of anything as you spent your working life paying into it. I went onto You Gov and checked my pension, apart from a couple of months of non NI contributions many years ago I qualify for the full amount on retirement, unfortunately it's too late to pay those missed months but it wouldn't affect anything anyway. Hopefully between N.E.S.T , my Pru plan and state things ought to be OK but I'm going to have to carry on work (in some fashion) until retirement.
|
|
|
Post by cvillestokie on Mar 16, 2024 19:32:37 GMT
I’m not surprised by this: "To get inactivity down government needs to look at childcare, transport and address NHS waiting lists“. Childcare is ludicrously expensive for a start. For many, I can see why it’s not actually worth going into work. It’s also a barrier for population growth that sees developed countries lean on immigration to prop up the number of taxpayers. I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the United States childcare is so expensive that it often costs more for a parent to work because their earnings would not be able to cover childcare. It's pretty common for one parent to quit working after the 2nd or 3rd child because being a stay at home parent is more economical. I’m in the U.S. as well. For us, it’s about to be about a $1000 a month, which isn’t too bad. That’s after being subsidized through my wife’s employment. However, some of my friends are paying around $3k for two kids. They often complain about the cost but they knew it before planning for the second.
|
|
|
Post by duckling on Mar 16, 2024 21:51:54 GMT
I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the United States childcare is so expensive that it often costs more for a parent to work because their earnings would not be able to cover childcare. It's pretty common for one parent to quit working after the 2nd or 3rd child because being a stay at home parent is more economical. I’m in the U.S. as well. For us, it’s about to be about a $1000 a month, which isn’t too bad. That’s after being subsidized through my wife’s employment. However, some of my friends are paying around $3k for two kids. They often complain about the cost but they knew it before planning for the second. With abortion banned in many places, a lot of women who get pregnant by accident or by force don't have a choice anymore. Furthermore, the politicians who force people to give birth are also those that are least interested in making childcare affordable.
|
|
|
Post by mtrstudent on Mar 16, 2024 22:51:29 GMT
I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the United States childcare is so expensive that it often costs more for a parent to work because their earnings would not be able to cover childcare. It's pretty common for one parent to quit working after the 2nd or 3rd child because being a stay at home parent is more economical. I’m in the U.S. as well. For us, it’s about to be about a $1000 a month, which isn’t too bad. That’s after being subsidized through my wife’s employment. However, some of my friends are paying around $3k for two kids. They often complain about the cost but they knew it before planning for the second. My mate tells me it's about $2k/month for her little lad. Fucking hell.
|
|
|
Post by Pricey on Mar 16, 2024 23:39:52 GMT
I’ve had loads of periods in the last 18 years since I graduated where I’ve not been looking for work but just survived on whatever money I’ve had for a bit and then got a job once the money starts to run out. Never claimed any benefits because I’ve never needed to and always paid rent and bills.
I’ve just added it all up and it’s about three years’ worth all together in chunks between 2 and 4 months at a time.
Whatever job you do and however much you love or hate it you’re selling some of your time on earth at the end of the day. I’d rather take a casual attitude to the idea of paid labour in general and it seems like more and more people are thinking in the same way. There’s a weird martyrdom about work in this country that I’ve never understood.
|
|
|
Post by cobhamstokey on Mar 17, 2024 8:08:06 GMT
I’ve had loads of periods in the last 18 years since I graduated where I’ve not been looking for work but just survived on whatever money I’ve had for a bit and then got a job once the money starts to run out. Never claimed any benefits because I’ve never needed to and always paid rent and bills. I’ve just added it all up and it’s about three years’ worth all together in chunks between 2 and 4 months at a time. Whatever job you do and however much you love or hate it you’re selling some of your time on earth at the end of the day. I’d rather take a casual attitude to the idea of paid labour in general and it seems like more and more people are thinking in the same way. There’s a weird martyrdom about work in this country that I’ve never understood. That’s a great attitude to have and one I’d wished I’d taken on a few occasions over the years however it never seemed to be at the right time (mainly due to being married, having a mortgage and having old fashioned values being drilled into me). That said god willing I’m due to retire early next year so can hopefully make up for lost time then. One thing that’s softened the blow is that on the whole (certainly for the last 20 years) I’ve really enjoyed my job and don’t think I’d find anything better. Fair play to you for doing it. Have you always found jobs well paid enough to be able to do it? Have you got a degree / skill that enables you to do it?
|
|
|
Post by Pricey on Mar 17, 2024 9:22:28 GMT
I’ve had loads of periods in the last 18 years since I graduated where I’ve not been looking for work but just survived on whatever money I’ve had for a bit and then got a job once the money starts to run out. Never claimed any benefits because I’ve never needed to and always paid rent and bills. I’ve just added it all up and it’s about three years’ worth all together in chunks between 2 and 4 months at a time. Whatever job you do and however much you love or hate it you’re selling some of your time on earth at the end of the day. I’d rather take a casual attitude to the idea of paid labour in general and it seems like more and more people are thinking in the same way. There’s a weird martyrdom about work in this country that I’ve never understood. That’s a great attitude to have and one I’d wished I’d taken on a few occasions over the years however it never seemed to be at the right time (mainly due to being married, having a mortgage and having old fashioned values being drilled into me). That said god willing I’m due to retire early next year so can hopefully make up for lost time then. One thing that’s softened the blow is that on the whole (certainly for the last 20 years) I’ve really enjoyed my job and don’t think I’d find anything better. Fair play to you for doing it. Have you always found jobs well paid enough to be able to do it? Have you got a degree / skill that enables you to do it? It’s probably been more lifestyle choices than anything. Also the belief that work shouldn’t dominate your life. It’ll catch up with me eventually I’m sure but because I don’t mind doing jobs that other people don’t seem to want to do – hospitality, warehouses, social work-based stuff – my brain has told me to this point that I can quit jobs I’ve had enough of because in 2, 3 or 4 months time I’ll be able to find another job. I’ll probably end up working a lot longer than most people because I won’t have accumulated a pension or any real “assets” but flogging myself and dying a couple of years after retirement obviously doesn’t interest me either. I don’t think the way I’ve done things is conducive to buying a house, getting married or having children but I’ve never wanted those things anyway. Some people would say it’s selfish but other than the Western world being set up to encourage people to live their lives a certain way, there are no “rules” to life are there. It’s why I find it so funny that people insist on getting annoyed at those not seeking work. There isn’t one way to live your life and everyone should be more open to different ideas. My two months off a year work breaks (on average) isn’t even that alternative in the grand scheme of things.
|
|
|
Post by AlliG on Mar 17, 2024 12:23:20 GMT
I’ve had loads of periods in the last 18 years since I graduated where I’ve not been looking for work but just survived on whatever money I’ve had for a bit and then got a job once the money starts to run out. Never claimed any benefits because I’ve never needed to and always paid rent and bills. I’ve just added it all up and it’s about three years’ worth all together in chunks between 2 and 4 months at a time. Whatever job you do and however much you love or hate it you’re selling some of your time on earth at the end of the day. I’d rather take a casual attitude to the idea of paid labour in general and it seems like more and more people are thinking in the same way. There’s a weird martyrdom about work in this country that I’ve never understood. Back in the 60s I had an uncle who was a carpenter/joiner. He used to work for a few weeks/months until he had saved up some money and would then go fishing for a few weeks. When his money had run out he would get another job for a few more weeks/months and then go fishing again. Rinse and repeat. As a kid he was brilliant company, loads of tales (fishermen's and others) and it was always a treat when he took me fishing every now and then. I guess from him I learned the lesson that money is just a means to an end and to love the life you have rather than the envy somebody elses.
|
|
|
Post by gawa on Mar 17, 2024 12:51:54 GMT
What a wholesome thread this has turned into.
I probably should have left my own job a few years ago to try to earn more and climb the ladder.
But I've got a nice home I can afford on my current wage. I work from home alot and I get a half day Friday. That's manageable for me. I'd rather that than an extra few hundred in my pocket only to waste more time commuting and working.
|
|
|
Post by cobhamstokey on Mar 17, 2024 13:11:18 GMT
What a wholesome thread this has turned into. I probably should have left my own job a few years ago to try to earn more and climb the ladder. But I've got a nice home I can afford on my current wage. I work from home alot and I get a half day Friday. That's manageable for me. I'd rather that than an extra few hundred in my pocket only to waste more time commuting and working. I guess we’re all guilty of thinking what might have been. There’s no such thing as a perfect life for me, so as long as you’re happy most of the time that’s a pretty good start. I think a lot of our expectations are built on upbringing and background. Between the age of 15-17 I had a terrible couple of years of bullying after a move from the Potteries to the NE. Since moving down to the SE I’ve been on the main accepted so I’m happy (90 percent of the time). I’m not sure I’d be as happy as I am now if I’d had not had the tough times and trauma for 2 years. I guess when you have everything from day one you have further to fall if things start going wrong. Life’s certainly a journey and about making memories.
|
|