FWIW, I live in a low cost of living area of the US, and fast food restaurants advertise paying $20+/hr here these days post-COVID inflation. Have the European counterparts seen the same increase over the last few years?
I hear you, but... while I don't know the specifc details, I would imagine that the employer pays the government for at least part of these benefits:
> This compensation comes on top of the general slate of social benefits in Denmark, which includes child allowances, health care, child care, paid leave, retirement, and education through college, among other things.
> I live in a low cost of living area of the US, and fast food restaurants advertise paying $20+/hr here these days post-COVID inflation
Nobody actually gets an offer or employment for anything near that $20/hour - the fine print says "Up to $20/hour", and you have to be there for years to get close.
There's various expenses present in US budgets that are handled differently elsewhere. Insurance premiums have increased, dependence on cars means gas price increases hit harder in the US than the EU in general, etc. So a comparison of base wage doesn't really reflect reality.
Well, take up comparing base wage with the OP, whose post was intended to make that exact comparison just not with these results. That comparison was very common before wages rose so much over the past few years. I'm well aware of how hard comparison is even in the USA, but I am still curious about recent changes in the EU, given how the system is touted, even here. How is their system responding to similar challenges compared to the one I live in? But instead of responses, I get told I could not possibly compare due to all the complicating differences. Well what was the original point then? I'm likely inclined to agree with OP on policy, for whatever that is worth, but I am still curious and want to understand the details.
I'll note the jump to say "hey don't compare those" only came after I followed OP's implicit desire for me to compare. Unfortunately, that comparison didn't go the way it used to, so now we have a rush to say I shouldn't have done what the OP clearly wanted me to do.
