Which country is the best place to work & why?

Originally posted by twhitehead
I love the weather here in Cape Town but I would move to Europe or the US given a chance because my income would more than double for the same amount of work.
I don't care how many hours the average worker puts in, I only care how much I get paid for my skills, what the cost of living is, and what the quality of living is. I currently accept a lower sala ...[text shortened]... e costs and quality of education and health. I believe Europe would beat the US on those scores.

I know a young man whose mother lives in Detroit, who works in Joberg. His wife is native S. African, and he seems to like living and working there, though he misses some things about home. Often it is not about hours worked and dollars paid.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
And I think that it shouldn't depend on what you do.

How much you get paid is capped by the value of your labor. Some jobs simply aren't made to support families.

Originally posted by normbenign
Often it is not about hours worked and dollars paid.

That is certainly true. It is important to earn enough to survive and get your children educated, but more than that is a matter of asking yourself why you work.
I like Cape Town weather and the income here, but I have family back in Zambia where the weather it horrible and the salaries are low. For now, I am sticking with South Africa because I believe my son will have a better future here.

Originally posted by joe beyser
Yes we have an odd system here. Family time does suffer. I wish I could go back to a 40 hr week. I do get a lot of days off in a row, but the average week is still over 60 hrs for me. I have had some weeks as high as 85 hours. One full time job should be enough in my opinion.

Perhaps it is, depending on what your desires are.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
I'm not sure about Lapland, or Finland. Personally I work about 30-35 hours a week with five weeks of paid vacation. I come to work as I please; my boss is just interested in results (most people aren't as fortunate to have such flexible working hours though).

I have always found it odd that Americans find it necessary to work two jobs. I've never me ...[text shortened]... s agree on a system where people aren't forced to abandon their families for most of their time?

What is characteristic in America is that people can work for whatever motivates them.

You don't need 2000 square feet to live, or three new cars, or a flat screen TV in every room. If those thing float your boat, then you can work two or three jobs.

A decent living varies greatly among different cultural groups.

Originally posted by quackquack
How much you get paid is capped by the value of your labor. Some jobs simply aren't made to support families.

But often those jobs still need to be done, and they fill a need for certain workers as well.

Originally posted by invigorate
*According to an opinion poll carried out by the PEW Foundation earlier this year people in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and Poland believe the Germans are Europe’s hardest workers.

* The dissenting voice came from Greece, where people think that Greeks work the hardest.

* The Greeks are, in fact, right. The average Gree ...[text shortened]... .

Taken from Ian Stewart - Chief Economist Deloitte.

So where would you like to work most?

This ipso facto becomes the question, which country is the best to live in.

Which breaks down on the question of legal status: native born, naturalized, legal aliens, illegal aliens.

Four different situations.