Oh that's awful.... I thought it was a US thing.... but.... oh dear.....
Difference in Europe though (Sweden is likely much different as it's much less populated than most other countries in Europe, so when there are problems, they are felt by all, not just in heavily populated areas) is their youth isn't going into it already in massive debt from college or credit cards. All my cousins in Germany (lots of them) are doing just fine and all own their own places. Their schooling cost them next to nothing, healthcare next to nothing, and you are guarenteed suitable wages, benefits, pension, etc. Typically Europeans don't use credit cards (more debit), don't live beyond their means, and don't spend what they don't have. Plus money there doesn't trickle up...it trickles down and out, as it should. Business owners consider the business itself their wealth, take care of their employees, and don't live lavish lives. In the US, a master electrician lives in a $750,000 house, has a driveway full of expensive cars and a $150,000 speed boat...and wonders why they can't find any good help. Over there, a master electrician might live next door to his own employee. His wealth is the business itself. Completely different mindset. (IMO, the way it used to be here...then greed took over) Another thing that is different there...education. Here we tell kids they can be whatever they want to be as long as they work hard at it. That all sounds nice, but fact is, only people really great at science from 1st grade until graduation should ever become a doctor. In Germany, kids get split up into different schools that specialize in different things depending on what you excell at as you grow up. Even if book smarts aren't your thing, they'll make sure you finish in a vocational school that will also gear you toward a very well paid job. Last I remember, practically everything there requires some sort of "official" training. If you want to be a Nanny, you have to go to Nanny training. If you want to work at Mc Donalds, you'll have to be trained (and not the "go in the mgr's office and watch the 1 hr training video before getting a uniform and starting your shift" training like here. I'm talking weeks and weeks of training. You just don't find employees that don't know their job over there. If you're going to flip burgers, they only want the best damn burger flipper there is! And when some fall through the cracks, the system is there to catch them and help get them back on their feet. (and no, their taxes aren't any higher there than they are here when it's all said and done, but they sure do get a hell of a lot more out of them than we do.)
edit: and if you work at a McDonalds there, you start w/ 5-6 weeks paid vacation and a pension plan. Different world indeed. (I often wish we had stayed! If you only saw the house I grew up in there compared to what I grew up in here...both based on a University Professor's wages (and we moved here because he became a Dean!!)
(just sing the Jefferson's theme song backwards!!
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