> what surprises me is that one of benefits (we are told in the UK)
> of the US economic model is that its really easy to find work and
> people can move about easily. From the description of a lot of US
> employers I've heard here how come you stay in these places with
> these awful employers.


Nick,

Do people actually think this? Easy to find work in the U.S.? I've gone months between jobs at times. A big problem is that many people who do the hiring do not usually possess the qualifications for the job they are hiring for. Their only means of determining qualifications are to contact the previous employers (who don't have technical qualifications) and examine various certifications and accreditations. If the previous employer fired you for looking for another job ... well let me say it doesn't bode well. If you didn't meet all the unreasonable deadlines set forth by a non-technical person, it might come back to haunt you. If you quit because you didn't get enough pay ... well you get the idea.

Another problem with the so-called "free market" workplace is it pits technical people against one another, instead of creating community. Competing workers consequently have to tolerate less than optimum conditions and lower pay, and those who die off due to stress make room for the others to "move about easily." Management comes to regard the technical employee as a valued professional but as a resource to be manipulated. Those who make it to the top are not necessarily the most qualified, but those who manage stress the best and put on the most impressive show in front of their boss. Therefore those who do survive may not be the most technical.

Because of the difficulties of finding a new job, many employees would prefer to stay in a less than optimum situation than risk the odyssey of dealing with landing a new job.

I personally admire those countries who offer their citizens the protection of a unionized workforce ... but I understand there is no such thing as perfection...

...Art