Could be Worse - You Could be Unemployed in France

Quite a lot of France wasn't working today because the retirement age here is going to be raised from 60 to 62. Few of the trains were running, not too many schools were open - and quite a few private businesses were closed.

In the United States the retirement age for everybody is 65 - and a lot of people prefer to keep on working past that age if they possibly can. In England many people complain they have to retire at 65 whether they want to or not.

And a lot of people in all three countries would like to have a job to retire from at whatever age.

The budget wasn't thrilling - a rise in VAT and a downgraded benefit system isn't going to please anybody - but there was a lot in the budget that gave business (and particularly small business) an incentive to hire people, and a lot there, too, that could help people to set up a small business of their own.

And despite the downgraded benefit system, you can still keep a roof over your head if it doesn't cost the state more than £400 a week, and get quite a lot of other assistance.

And your qualifications, if you have any, will allow you to stand on a level playing field with everyone else who has the same qualifications.

• There is no incentive for businesses in France to hire people, and legislation has made it very difficult for anyone to get hired on a permanent basis however good their qualifications.
• Everyone who passes their Baccaleuréate examination in France has an identical qualification to everyone else who passes that examination anywhere in the country - but in fact its value depends upon where a person passes it, so that it is less valuable to people who have studied for it in poor communities.
• Taxation makes it virtually impossible to set up a small business and still earn enough to live.
• There is no such thing as Housing Benefit - if you don't have a job here you can say 'goodbye' to your apartment, or your room, or whatever else you are renting to live in because the state will not pay for it if you cannot pay for it yourself.

There is a lot wrong with Britain - but there's a lot right with it as well. Things could be worse - you could be unemployed in France.

Emily - http://www.therapypartnership.com