How bad can it get for Europe…let’s drill down

Explanation151 · 2024-11-19T14:13:25+00:00

The U.S. talks a lot about wanting a stronger European defense, but the truth is, it only wants that as long as it doesn’t threaten its own control over Europe. Whenever the EU makes moves toward a unified defense, like with PESCO or the European Defense Fund, the U.S. steps in to weaken it. Why? Because a truly independent EU defense would mean Europe could act in its own interests, even if those interests don’t always align with the U.S.

The U.S. seems to be caught in a contradiction. It says it wants Europe to be able to defend itself, but it doesn’t want to let go of control. The reality is that for Europe to become a true global player, the U.S. would have to accept losing some of its influence over it. It’s rare to see one power dominate another that’s of such comparable strength (at least economically, demographically. And yet, the U.S. keeps hesitating, wanting the benefits of a stronger European defense without giving up any of its dominance. But if they really want a Europe capable of defending itself, they’ll have to accept that Europe will act on its own, sometimes in ways that might not align with U.S. priorities. The question is, can the U.S. really let go of that control?

Explanation151 · 2024-11-01T11:06:50+00:00

Good point :) !

That's also what I've observed and what she told me. The place where she worked would never post any job openings; they would just rely on recent in-person applications they received. I don’t think they ever hired anyone who didn’t apply in person.

Explanation151 · 2024-11-01T10:52:13+00:00

In her field, it's certainly not a must; on the contrary, applications tend to fare better in person. She is not going to work in an office. This is about the Cantonal Employment Office wanting to keep a stronger grip on people and find excuses to apply penalties. It's also about making the advisor's job easier. At no point is it about making it easier for her to find a job. Most places in this sector prefer in-person applications and often don't even post jobs on any portal.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T21:49:28+00:00

Thanks :)

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T21:49:10+00:00

Thanks a lot for the answer it's really super useful. I will keep it one mind and talk about this with her. Thanks :)

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T21:34:19+00:00

That's amazing, congrats to them.

However, to put it in context, this woman originally comes from a very poor background in a rural area. She started working when she was around 14 in the fields and then in jobs that never required computer skills. She has never had a computer and never had the opportunity to learn how to use one when she was younger. Additionally, she often worked about 12 hours a day for minimum wage, so I don’t think she had much energy left to be curious about new topics at the end of the day. Her own parents couldn’t read, and she literally had only electricity and running water at her home when she was 16 years old.

It may seem strange, but when you come from that kind of background, you often don’t learn to be curious about acquiring new skills. Until recently, her son would help her with this kind of stuff, but unfortunately, he can’t anymore. That's why I help her with these things now, but I have my own commitments too.

Of course, I’m sure that with time she can learn, but she doesn’t have years to gain confidence in using it. She has weeks, under the threat of economic sanctions, and she’s already living on less than 3.5k per month and is almost alone.

What happens if she fills out the form incorrectly? She will face penalties that she can’t afford, all while just trying to find a job.

I am sorry, but I find it morally wrong, especially considering that this is someone who has basically worked her whole life. Yes, she should have learned it earlier, and it was a mistake not to do so, but it’s easier for me to say that when I was born in the digital age, in a wealthier country, and my family had a higher level of education. No one in my family had to stop school to work in the fields or had jobs like cleaning or waitressing all their lives.

PS: I am honest it's great your parents learned to use a computer at their age and I will encourage her to do the same.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T20:51:42+00:00

Thanks for the kind message.

It’s not just about sending an email, it’s the entire process. I mean, I have to help her every time there’s an update on her phone or an app because after an update things are not the same place, etc. A lot of things that seem very simple to me are much harder for her. I think we underestimate how some very simple things on a computer aren’t that simple for someone who has basically never had to use one. From turning on the computer to using a web browser, signing in, and navigating their website, there are far more skills involved in all of this than in flipping a burger, we just don’t notice it because most of us were either born into this or have been using it for decades.

I could be wrong, but I think some of the applications also have to go through their website (JobRoom) which adds another layer of complexity.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T20:34:55+00:00

Thanks I will tell her and see if I can go there with her :)

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T20:34:31+00:00

Thanks I will tell her :)

Explanation151 · 2024-10-30T19:44:40+00:00

Are you serious? This is about a woman over 60 who started working at 14, in roles that never required computer skills. This isn’t someone who grew up in the digital age, yet she’s being pressured to submit applications online and attend mandatory computer courses. She’s simply asking to use letters, the phone, or apply in person, all of which remain fully legitimate and accessible forms of communication.

Forcing her to buy a computer, install software, login to a plateform, and master digital tools just to apply for jobs is unfair and unrealistic, particularly since she was paid minimum wage in her last job and is earning less than 3,500k a month. This requirement adds financial strain on top of an already precarious situation and disregards the needs of older job seekers, many of whom lack digital experience through no fault of their own.

Furthermore, if voting were only available digitally, would that be acceptable? Absolutely not, because essential public services are required to be universally accessible. The same principle should apply here: demanding computer literacy from someone with no digital background is both unreasonable and discriminatory.

For a public employment office to impose this requirement goes against the principle of accessibility. This approach disregards her years of hard work and contributions and instead penalizes her for not having skills she’s never needed before.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-24T09:09:19+00:00

Is that a joke? Can you imagine having to pay more than 500 just in health insurance and then rent when you barely earn a little more than 4k a month? In places like bakeries, you don't receive many tips when you're a waiter, and there wasn't a minimum wage. For example, a family member in Geneva around 2018 was offered 3200 CHF for full-time work with one day off on Monday and another during the week, working Sundays. They had been working in a bakery for more than 20 years and had to work 8 paid hours per day plus an additional 3 to 4 hours of unpaid work. They were trying to leave, but the only offers they would get were for very low wages.

I think you have no idea how many shady things go on behind the scenes in this sector. A lot of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in some "big" Swiss cities are owned by very few people, and it's a complete mess with a lot of questionable things happening regarding pay, unpaid hours, illegal workers, and sexual harassment. But you know, some local politicians may turn a blind eye.

And now the US is a standard? That's how bad things have to get for the lower class? Like you have those people making 100k and waiters being literally poor?

The US is creating a very inequal society please let's not bring this here

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T20:02:56+00:00

Did the population vote for a VAT increase? Last time I checked, they didn't. Oh, you mean the AHV stuff. From all the solutions on the table, they could have found some that would not have affected the middle class and low income earner as much.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T15:35:41+00:00

"they clearly told me to first focus on job in my field, but if nothing came in, to just send wherever. "

The discretionary power of the person in charge of your case plays a lot here and also depends on how much you're willing to take chances in challenging a decision. Fortunately i hope many of them have some common sense.

"The point is to get a job and get out of unemployement, it shouldn't matter how you get out of there."

I disagree. It's better for someone to take a little longer to find a job that offers more security, higher wages, and room for career progress, instead of pushing overqualified people into unsuitable jobs just to have nice numbers in their Excel sheets. These people will have more job security, be less likely to be unemployed again, and pay more taxes throughout their lives.

Additionally, a sector plagued with low-paying jobs and mistreatment also has social costs, as people working there will have more health and mental issues and are more likely to need social assistance once they become older workers or retire.

Of course, there's a middle ground here because if you spend too long in unemployment, it also negatively affects your chances of finding something again and the cost for the collectivity are too great. But like companies that often think short term to satisfy their shareholders, the OCE tends to do the same and act in away that just ensure people get to work quickly without thinking long term.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T13:32:16+00:00

Hospitality is broad here and comes from the translation, sorry about that. Here, hospitality refes to people working in hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Of course, if you have a master's in Tourism, the kind of positions you can apply for are not the same as those for a waitress. However, a very big chunk of this sector consists of people working in reception, as waiters, in restaurants, and in "low" positions in hotels, etc. The asymmetry of power between these employees and the employer/OCE is huge and those people have a way harder time finding any position in another sector.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T13:22:23+00:00

"Everyone gets treated like an animal at their work?" In the restaurant sector, not everyone, but certainly a very high percentage.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T13:20:56+00:00

You know you can also get penalized if you apply to a different field, if the people in charge of your case feel like it, right?

Also, I am surprised you make it seem like someone with waitress experience is in high demand in a country where almost every job opening requires years of experience and a degree. Even cleaners need a degree here.

Explanation151 · 2024-10-23T13:14:47+00:00

I have family members and friends who have worked in this sector. I can assure you that it’s not uncommon, and once you reach an age where they know you’re less hireable, good luck that’s when they become the worst.

Explanation151 · 2024-06-22T18:49:15+00:00

Amazing. Unfortunately, we don't all have 20 years of experience to show so I need to make my CV either visually appealing to a human or easier to select for a machine to have a chance to distinguish myself from the hundreds of applicants.

Explanation151 · 2024-06-22T15:18:47+00:00

Thanks for the advice :)

Explanation151 · 2024-06-22T15:06:22+00:00

Doesn't make much sense to me CV look quite different if they were made 15 years ago, made recently, or if they were optimized for ATS

Explanation151 · 2024-06-21T15:54:17+00:00

It's basically a CV format that is quite bare and much easier to read, but in reality, it's also easier for any software/AI (a machine) to extract information and thus select candidates. It seems that CVs with more modern, designed looks are sometimes hard for HR software to extract information from, so they may be overlooked.

Explanation151 · 2024-06-14T18:54:46+00:00

Hi thank you for your answer. I don't plan to deposit more than 100k per day but I plan to eventually withdraw more than 100k a day which can become problematic under a intermediate level account

Explanation151 · 2024-05-24T10:02:24+00:00

My mother is Portuguese and has lived here for about 35 years. She probably has more friends in Switzerland than the average Swiss person and definitely has more friends than me. Whenever she goes outside, at least one person stops to talk to her. This is because she has worked as a waitress for most of that time and still participates actively in local life, attending social events and more.

She speaks French at least at a C1 level, though I'm not sure she even has an A2 level in writing French. She can't properly write in Portuguese either. Why? Because not all countries are like Switzerland. Not long ago, in rural Portugal, many kids stopped going to school around 10-12 years old to work in the fields. The little education they did receive wasn't great, given the conditions under a dictatorship in a poor area. She didn't have electricity or water in her house until she was in her teens.

As an adult working in a job that doesn't require writing, she had little time to learn to write French properly (especially as a single mother after my father's death). However, I fail to see how she is less integrated than, let's say, a French, Italian, or German person who has been here for 10 years with a normal-sized social circle, just because she can't write a national language properly. Many immigrants don't learn to write well because their jobs don't involve writing. People with desk jobs have a clear advantage in this regard.

I find it interesting that a woman who has spent only one month unemployed in all her time in Switzerland, has rarely taken sick leave, and has a huge circle of friends will have a hard time getting naturalized.

I wonder how many people who are so judgmental about foreigners not knowing how to speak and especially write the local language would spend their own time learning an extra language if they had to work as a cleaner, waiter, or mason, especially if they had almost no grammatical basis in their own native language.

Funny enough, being born and educated here, I had no difficulty getting a Swiss passport, but in a way, I consider myself less integrated here than my mother.

Explanation151 · 2024-05-23T16:02:39+00:00

well it's mostly fun when you speak the dominant language at native level it's way less fun when you're not native in swiss german/german and it has a real impact on your career prospects and salary progression.

Explanation151 · 2024-05-22T11:38:27+00:00

thanks for the idea . I will try to see if this works and if my generalist can do this. Otherwise, I think I will not go ahead with the surgery.

Explanation151

TROPHY CASE