Europe, and Holland especially, has a recent history of pillarized government. Instead of being controlled by a king or two-party system, Holland has had a coalition government since the 1920's.

While I am not a history expert (yet), I read that after WWII in Holland and Belgium the various workers parties vyed for membership and therefore power to push their agendas. By having the labor parties in such close proximity to governmental power, the workers could organize strikes more efficiently and with more effect. When workers in the Belgian coal unions were unhappy, they could put a virtual stop to the rebuilding effort by reducing coal production.

This historical difference means that the modern American and modern European look at jobs and security differently. Struggling with unemployment rates of 10% and higher, countries like Germany and France have stagnant workforces. In Holland in 1995, 13% of the workforce was receiving disability payments and not working! This is certainly hidden unemployment. If only half these people simultaneously tried to get jobs there would be a problem. Probably half don't need to be on disability.

As noted before, Europeans expect that they can't be fired or laid off their jobs. It used to be like this in America, but the change in corporate culture and the shift in concern from employee loyalty to shareholder value means that the days of the Company Man are gone in America.

They Company Man still exists in Europe. He is a man who expects to work for the same employer for the rest of his life until retirement. He trusts his company, and let's the company manage his retirement plan. I like to say that guaranteed employment guarantees mediocrity. I think the United States federal government is a perfect example of this. People who have perfect job security have no incentive to do better and improve over time. All you have to do is show up at work every day and do the bare minimum job, and you can't get fired.

I received a question on my web site on day asking how a woman and her husband could get jobs in Europe so they could live there. I admire this idea, and tried to follow through on it myself. As it turns out, my family needs me here in the US. Someday in the far future I will try to move there again.

Europe and the US have some similarities and differences. We both have laws protecting our labor forces from being diluted by foreign workers. The US does not enforce these very strictly - the European Union countries do. While it may be comparatively easy for a foreigner to move to the US and get a job, Europe is exceedingly protectionist.

Consider the difference in histories - America is a relatively new country that throughout its history has been built on the idea of being self-reliant. Historically, business usually wins out over the labor force. Unless you are a union member or high level management, you have no job security:

"In fact, most workers in America are working according to at will employment. Whether they signed such an agreement, the Supreme Court decided in the 1890's that for America's fledgling manufacturing industry to be profitable, the business owners needed to be able to hire and fire at will, that is to say at their own discretion according to the number of workers needed on a day by day basis. This shows how America is a land with no securtiy blanket, while European people have more power in labor-management relations. We have different perpectives about whether someone must pay their own way or depend paritally or fully on the government.