why you are better off on social welfare

blacksmith105

I have just managed to get a new job even in this climate but the wages are awful .. i love working and having been out of work for 12 months happy to accept it
I have a daily long commute so will stay with a relation free of charge 2-3 nights per week to keep the cost down
Problem is that i called the tax office today to get my tax free allowances etc and was told that my period on social welfare was taxable and i would have to pay an extra 36 euro per week for the rest of the year which makes my take home pay 385.00 per week take out travel costs 60 per week and i have 325.00 per week . average 103 euo per week better off for 55-60 hour week
My gross is 480 per week , i was getting 202 on social welfare.... i am now working average 55-60 hours per week but only get a flat rate , i dont get paid for overtime but get time in lieu instead.. so when u work it out i am better off on the dole as i get more such as medical card etc etc
My wife is also working but also on low income 330 per week after tax

I love working and will get out of the bed at 530 am to start the commute to work and will use this job as experience and look for something better and closer to home but i now understand why some people dont want to leave the comfort of having social welfare and the protection it gives

123balltv

The few jobs that are out there are not paying very much, and our current tax rates are pushing people back on the dole.

With all these water and other rates coming it makes you think its actually kind of scary working you have no back up my boss gave me a choice yesterday a 10% paycut or a 100% paycut I was that close to taking a 100% paycut but the taughts of being stuck in the house scares me as im prone to deppression working is good for your health.
but my God how the government thinks there getting more off me I have nothing they
can go and shove their rates up their fat arses except for Enda he has a skinny arse

carm

blacksmith105 wrote: »

My gross is 480 per week , i was getting 202 on social welfare.... i am now working average 55-60 hours per week but only get a flat rate , i dont get paid for overtime but get time in lieu instead.. so when u work it out i am better off on the dole as i get more such as medical card etc etc
My wife is also working but also on low income 330 per week after tax

...the comfort of having social welfare and the protection it gives

May I ask, why were you on 202 a week when your wife is earning 330 pw after tax? How did you manage to wangle that? Were you on rent supplement or some other extra benefit?

As much as the sheep will bleat about it, not everyone fits into that nice "protection" category. We're not all screwing the system or entitled to much or anything at all for that matter.

dan_d

+1. How were you on 202eur per week?

To be brutally honest, if you feel you're better off on SW then give me your job. Christ, where do people get this "I'm better off on SW" thing from? You are 103 eur a week better off. Actually, scratch that - add on your 60eur travel costs and you're 163 eur a week better off. Plus the 36eur a week from next year - which means by this time next year, you'll be 199eur a week better off than you were on SW. How is that a bad thing? So you don't get overtime, and you're being paid a flat rate - exactly what do you think you're entitled to here? What constitutes an acceptable wage so that you start thinking to yourself that working is better than SW? My previous job was a 50 hr week, paid a salary every year and that was it. I generally worked a 55 - 60 hour week, and I barely got a pat on the back for it, let alone overtime, hourly rates, or time in lieu. I appreciate you work to create a decent life for yourself, but sometimes there's a sense of entitlement there that's jaw-dropping.

I appreciate you want to work, but I wish people wouldn't go around making statements like that. When did we get this idea that an income should be benchmarked against SW? If you've been unemployed, you realise that a job is a hell of a lot more than an income. Again, I'm not saying that you just take slave wages just to have a job, but don't spend your time comparing your income to SW. If you've been on the dole 12 months, then you know it's a hell of a lot better to be working.:mad:

pocketvenus

I am getting sick of all these threads on how the dole is so great and you have the high life on it.

The only way you may be better off on the dole rather than in a min wage job is if you have kids etc. Then you are entitled to alot more then a single person.

I know from experience that a single person over the age of 25 is only entitled to €188 a week and that is it. With them cuttting down on medical / GP cards etc you would be lucky to get one.
€188 a week to live and pay maybe debts or car loan a person had when they were working. I know many a single person who have had to move back home and are also trying to giving money to their parnet / parents to help also. All out of €188 a week.

So all these stories of everyone on the dole raking it in would want to stop.

later12

I can vaguely see why you would deduct your travel costs OP, but actually it is not really a valid deduction any more than your lunch money.

I can understand your grievance in terms of tax credits, certainly, but the fact is you are not better off on social welfare. You are clearly earning more than you were (and I would also be curious as to how you were receiving 202 euro prior to taking this job).

By the way, you cannot simply say that because you are working x hours, for a wage y, that this is directly comparable to an hourly rate of social welfare.

careca11

carm wrote: »

May I ask, why were you on 202 a week when your wife is earning 330 pw after tax? How did you manage to wangle that? .

202 a week WTF

My bro's dole was cut to just €70 a week because his misses takes home more than €306pw
shall iask him to take your job........................he'd happily grab it with both hands

Bandana boy

I guess your point is the Dole is too high

I agree
A 25-30% adjustment down on Dole over the next 2-3 years is probably required.

carm

careca11 wrote: »

202 a week WTF

My bro's dole was cut to just €70 a week because his misses takes home more than €306pw
shall iask him to take your job........................he'd happily grab it with both hands

Me first! I'm on e24 a week. I'll take it. How's your brother getting that? That's more than me with a criteria of e312 limit? Kids?

Bandana Boy, the dole is too high, for that lucky few who've also been taking the p&ss out of it in the boom times. We're not all that lucky few.

blacksmith105

hey whats with all the backlash . i said clearly that i am happy to get off social welfare and love to work i am simply making a comparison
I was on 202 because i have two young children to support and get an allowance for them and my wifes take home was also taken into account
a 22 year old with no intention of working can claim 180-190 per week if they have no kids so the difference for supporting 2 children is 22 euro per week

sollar

later10 wrote: »

I can vaguely see why you would deduct your travel costs OP, but actually it is not really a valid deduction any more than your lunch money.

I think its entirely valid. When you are weighing up the financial benefits of working vs staying on the dole. You have to take this into account. What money he will have in his pocket is all that really matters.

carm

blacksmith105 wrote: »

hey whats with all the backlash . i said clearly that i am happy to get off social welfare and love to work i am simply making a comparison
I was on 202 because i have two young children to support and get an allowance for them and my wifes take home was also taken into account
a 22 year old with no intention of working can claim 180-190 per week if they have no kids so the difference for supporting 2 children is 22 euro per week

I don't think there's a backlash. You must have been on benefit not allowance.

It is shameful the comparisons. I could go on for an hour here about how unfair my entitlements are after working years compared to a lard arse on the social for 20 years. He's entitled to FAR more than me. It makes me wonder what I was paying tax for all those years for when I need help most, the system is now taking the p1ss.

Unfortunately, I think people now have to get "used to" the fact work conditions have dropped along with salaries. Those who've been working through the crisis may appreciate their holding on to their jobs a little more when they hear some of the nonsense "new" workers are now having to go through - that is to say "some" not all.

later12

blacksmith105 wrote: »

hey whats with all the backlash . i said clearly that i am happy to get off social welfare and love to work i am simply making a comparison
I was on 202 because i have two young children to support and get an allowance for them and my wifes take home was also taken into account
a 22 year old with no intention of working can claim 180-190 per week if they have no kids so the difference for supporting 2 children is 22 euro per week

Not really, because you are not comparing like-with-like.

It depends on whether or not the 22 year old is co-habiting. Compare the income and certain automatic welfare supports (including child benefit) between single parents and single non parents, and then come back and tell us the difference is 22 euro.

I think your original post is a little misleading in that there are other factors in your payment that you did not initially explain.

Procasinator

later10 wrote: »

I think your original post is a little misleading in that there are other factors in your payment that you did not initially explain.

How is it misleading. The guy is talking about his conditions, not every possible conditions. Whatever his conditions, they are not extraordina

He ends saying he can see why "some" would see it better off.

I don't get the backlash either against the OP. After 55 hours of work and direct expenses caused by that work, he is only roughly €100 better off. In pure monetary terms, that isn't great for the amount of input/effort he is putting in.

Of course, he said he gets other benefits (like experience, and enjoyment of working again) so all in all he finds it better to work.

If a person looks it from their perspective rather than a bigger picture perspective, it's easy to see why they would choose not too work.

Tora Bora

Procasinator wrote: »

How is it misleading. The guy is talking about his conditions, not every possible conditions. Whatever his conditions, they are not extraordina

He ends saying he can see why "some" would see it better off.

I don't get the backlash either against the OP. After 55 hours of work and direct expenses caused by that work, he is only roughly €100 better off. In pure monetary terms, that isn't great for the amount of input/effort he is putting in.

Of course, he said he gets other benefits (like experience, and enjoyment of working again) so all in all he finds it better to work.

If a person looks it from their perspective rather than a bigger picture perspective, it's easy to see why they would choose not too work.

ONLY a hundred euros. What a statement!!! If the people of this country, have come to the conclusion that it's not worth while dragging their arse out of bed to go to work, for €100 per week over and above what they would get by cadging on the dole, then we REALLY ARE TOTALL FCUKED, for ever and ever.

D1stant

Tora Bora wrote: »

ONLY a hundred euros. What a statement!!! If the people of this country, have come to the conclusion that it's not worth while dragging their arse out of bed to go to work, for €100 per week over and above what they would get by cadging on the dole, then we REALLY ARE TOTALL FCUKED, for ever and ever.

Jesus spare us the drama

I can totally see the OPs point. Actualy if it were me I would NOT work 55 hours for 100E extra. I'd rather draw the dole, spnd more time with my kids and get the 100E by cutting peoples grass or painting their houses or whatever way I could under the radar.

I get the impression that many of these people bashing dole spongers are idealistic kids in college with no real life experience. There are a lot of spongers and also a lot of decent people who are trapped and humiliated by it. So park the sanctimony.

For the record - I have been paying tax in Ireland for 18 years. I drew the dole for 3 months in that period.

*Waits for irdignance*

Procasinator

Tora Bora wrote: »

ONLY a hundred euros. What a statement!!! If the people of this country, have come to the conclusion that it's not worth while dragging their arse out of bed to go to work, for €100 per week over and above what they would get by cadging on the dole, then we REALLY ARE TOTALL FCUKED, for ever and ever.

Their is opportunity costs to consider here.

This person has less time to spend with his family (staying elsewhere for 3 nights a week), hell of a lot less free time and probably a lot more stress.

It's quite conceivable that some would think these consequences and others are not worth €100 to them.

Again, on an individual level - on a country level, we'd obviously be better off with the people working.

Head The Wall

D1stant wrote: »

I get the impression that many of these people bashing dole spongers are idealistic kids in college with no real life experience.

*Waits for irdignance*

You're grabbing at some straws there bud, a student that doesn't contribute to the system is probably the least likely person to feel righteous about this. They would possibly be the most likely to be facing the dole queue themselves in the future

Dale Parish

Procasinator wrote: »

Their is opportunity costs to consider here.

This person has less time to spend with his family (staying elsewhere for 3 nights a week), hell of a lot less free time and probably a lot more stress.

It's quite conceivable that some would think these consequences and others are not worth €100 to them.

Well there's the catch.
Now people who work have to pay increased taxes, work longer hours, spend less time with their family, have a hell of a lot less free time and a lot more stress because that person did not want to work.

later12

Procasinator wrote: »

How is it misleading. The guy is talking about his conditions, not every possible conditions. Whatever his conditions, they are not extraordina

I think the comparison with a 22 year old with no kids is particularly misleading. The OP suggested that the difference between his payment and the payment received by such an individual was 22 euro.

For one thing, no it isnt. A 22 year old on JSA would only be entitled to €144 maximum, and if he were cohabiting without children his partners income would be taken into account, causing that €144 to be further reduced.

djpbarry

carm wrote: »

Unfortunately, I think people now have to get "used to" the fact work conditions have dropped along with salaries.

Salaries have not dropped by a huge amount - about 2.5% in the year to Q4 2010, according to the CSO. Granted, taxes have gone up, but, as of 2009, the median income in Ireland was still one of the highest in Europe (according to Eurostat) – just under 40% higher than the UK, for example.

keithclancy

D1stant wrote: »

Jesus spare us the drama

I can totally see the OPs point. Actualy if it were me I would NOT work 55 hours for 100E extra. I'd rather draw the dole, spnd more time with my kids and get the 100E by cutting peoples grass or painting their houses or whatever way I could under the radar.

I get the impression that many of these people bashing dole spongers are idealistic kids in college with no real life experience. There are a lot of spongers and also a lot of decent people who are trapped and humiliated by it. So park the sanctimony.

For the record - I have been paying tax in Ireland for 18 years. I drew the dole for 3 months in that period.

*Waits for irdignance*

Aren't you allowed to work upto 16 hours / week and this is subtracted from your Job Seekers Allowance ?

carm

djpbarry wrote: »

Salaries have not dropped by a huge amount - about 2.5% in the year to Q4 2010, according to the CSO. Granted, taxes have gone up, but, as of 2009, the median income in Ireland was still one of the highest in Europe (according to Eurostat) – just under 40% higher than the UK, for example.

It of course depends on what your field is, and that's Q4 2010. Come back when you have a link to Q2 2011 figures. I would estimate it's dropped even more and slowly slipping as we post... (unlike the cost of living)

djpbarry

carm wrote: »

It of course depends on what your field is...

Well, yes, the median will vary from sector to sector, but the median figure for the entire population is very high, so most people in Ireland are still earning considerable amounts of money relative to the rest of Europe

carm wrote: »

...and that's Q4 2010. Come back when you have a link to Q2 2011 figures. I would estimate it's dropped even more...

I wouldn't - I find it hard to believe that incomes have declined to any significant degree in the space of a few months.

carm

djpbarry wrote: »

Well, yes, the median will vary from sector to sector, but the median figure for the entire population is very high, so most people in Ireland are still earning considerable amounts of money relative to the rest of Europe
I wouldn't - I find it hard to believe that incomes have declined to any significant degree in the space of a few months.

Actually you're right, present "incomes" may not have declined as much. Those lucky enough to be working and have contracts aren't going to be cut as dramatically.

I am basing my theory on the salaries "being offered" for upcoming jobs. I've noticed a serious decline in what they're offering for jobs in comparison to two years ago and particularly since the end of 2010. But that's just my personal experience.

HellFireClub

Anyone who thinks that you are better off on the dole in this country is talking out of their third arséhole.

There are consequences to being on the dole that you can't put a price on, such as relationships falling apart, no social life, your confidence being utterly distroyed, anxiety attacks, endless stressing about money and just surviving from day to day and week to week, and all of these kind of issues will emerge, and all of these individual issues will pull against each other and make next week more impossible than last week was for you.

djpbarry

carm wrote: »

I am basing my theory on the salaries "being offered" for upcoming jobs. I've noticed a serious decline in what they're offering for jobs in comparison to two years ago and particularly since the end of 2010.

That’s not at all surprising and is to be expected – as I said, salaries in Ireland are extremely high at present and are bound to come down to some degree given the labour surplus (although there is a labour shortage in some sectors).

carm

HellFireClub wrote: »

Anyone who thinks that you are better off on the dole in this country is talking out of their third arséhole.

There are consequences to being on the dole that you can't put a price on, such as relationships falling apart, no social life, your confidence being utterly distroyed, anxiety attacks, endless stressing about money and just surviving from day to day and week to week, and all of these kind of issues will emerge, and all of these individual issues will pull against each other and make next week more impossible than last week was for you.

+1

Unless you're lucky enough to be in receipt of full rent allowance, full weekly payments, medical card, children's allowance, benefit, family income supplement and all the lovely extras those working the system are living on and have been over the boom time years. You know them. They're all in groups with their friends in the welfare office skipping the queue.

All those things I'm currently not. Agree with you entirely there.

Cian92

Tora Bora wrote: »

ONLY a hundred euros. What a statement!!! If the people of this country, have come to the conclusion that it's not worth while dragging their arse out of bed to go to work, for €100 per week over and above what they would get by cadging on the dole, then we REALLY ARE TOTALL FCUKED, for ever and ever.

There is no way in hell, I'd work 5 days a week for €100 extra, imagine what I could do instead. Are you expecting people to work for peanuts?

JustAddWater

Cian92 wrote: »

There is no way in hell, I'd work 5 days a week for €100 extra, imagine what I could do instead. Are you expecting people to work for peanuts?

The way I see it he's paid pretty well, it's the social that's too high

Cian92

Cian92 wrote: »

There is no way in hell, I'd work 5 days a week for €100 extra, imagine what I could do instead. Are you expecting people to work for peanuts?

I'm delighted to hear that 400 extra a month is peanuts

HellFireClub

JustAddWater wrote: »

The way I see it he's paid pretty well, it's the social that's too high

It's not that the dole is too high, trust me, you can just about survive on it...

The problem is the amount of childish messing that goes on in Ireland when it comes to employers recruiting for jobs in this country. Total unprofessionalism as a phrase doesn't describe the messing and the mind games that go on, sharp practice is absolutely everywhere in this country...

djpbarry

bluewolf wrote: »

I'm delighted to hear that 400 extra a month is peanuts

Indeed – that’s over a weeks’ income to most people here in the UK.

HellFireClub wrote: »

It's not that the dole is too high, trust me, you can just about survive on it...

If a single person with no dependents can only "just above survive" on EUR180 per week (remember, that’s the bare minimum), then there is something seriously wrong with their financial management.

CiaranC

Cian92 wrote: »

There is no way in hell, I'd work 5 days a week for €100 extra, imagine what I could do instead. Are you expecting people to work for peanuts?

The great middle class groupthinkers of Boards.ie just cannot grasp this. You can get 788 quid for doing nothing (plus rent allowance probably) or you can slave every day in some soul destroying, no-prospect, minimum wage nightmare, most probably working poxy unsociable hours, for a measly 400 extra quid a month. Do a couple of nixers (its not as if you're stuck for time) and the difference is made up. Then you can go back to playing pitch and putt and watching channel four racing with the rest of the lads on the dole.

djpbarry

CiaranC wrote: »

You can get 788 quid for doing nothing (plus rent allowance probably) or you can slave every day in some soul destroying, no-prospect, minimum wage nightmare, most probably working poxy unsociable hours, for a measly 400 extra quid a month.

EUR400 would have covered my rent for a month when I was in Dublin - I'm completely at a loss to understand how that could possibly be considered "measly".

D1stant

djpbarry wrote: »

EUR400 would have covered my rent for a month when I was in Dublin - I'm completely at a loss to understand how that could possibly be considered "measly".

And 400EUR for 210 hours work is 1.90 per hour. I'm completely at a loss as to why people think thats a good deal or one the OP is obliged to take.

D1stant

D1stant wrote: »

And 400EUR for 210 hours work is 1.90 per hour. I'm completely at a loss as to why people think thats a good deal or one the OP is obliged to take.

Because it's work? Paid work over and above welfare?!

D1stant

bluewolf wrote: »

Because it's work? Paid work over and above welfare?!

Work Shmork

If Im in that situation I want to maximise benefit to my familly. And the math of this scenario would not add up for me at least.

If the system is wrong, and I agree it is, then shoot at the system.

carm

JustAddWater wrote: »

The way I see it he's paid pretty well, it's the social that's too high

You think e24 a week is too high? Try live on it for a month.

Remember how long E188 lasts. 12 months. After that it's nothing or fight for yourself in many cases - unless you're relaxing on the rent allowance.

carm

djpbarry wrote: »

EUR400 would have covered my rent for a month when I was in Dublin - I'm completely at a loss to understand how that could possibly be considered "measly".

What year was that? Seriously? E400 a month rent?! I remember paying that in 1995 when it was paid in Punts. E200-E300 a week is more like reality. You might well get a one bed flea bitten craphole in Limerick for E400 a month.

RichardAnd

carm wrote: »

What year was that? Seriously? E400 a month rent?! I remember paying that in 1995 when it was paid in Punts. E200-E300 a week is more like reality. You might well get a one bed flea bitten craphole in Limerick for E400 a month.

House sharing in Dublin would come to about 400 euro a month, probably less in many areas. An en-suite room in Athlone set me back 290 euro a month in 2009, I doubt that Dublin is a far cry from that.

Plentyofice

This thread does highlight one clear point. That people with full time jobs actually do perform a comparison with social welfare payments !! I , in no way whatsoever blame the man who started the thread. I blame the system. The benefits for being on the scratcher are simply too high. This man is now working and has rightly asked the question about what he gets into his hand versus what he'd get on the scratcher. Now, think about the dole leeches, the people who even when we had full employment were not working. These people will continue to drain your pocket forever because they are super fcukin lazy and a bullsh*t too high welfare system supports their ability to scratch their way through life. :mad:

Short and sweet.. People who are unemployed for XXX amount of time who has shown little or no apetite for work should have their doles slashed in half. Full stop. Every village has these parasites .!!

djpbarry

D1stant wrote: »

And 400EUR for 210 hours work is 1.90 per hour.

Actually, I believe the OP is grossing EUR480 per week. That’s more than I take home in a week and I earn considerably more than the median income in the UK.

carm wrote: »

Remember how long E188 lasts. 12 months. After that it's nothing or fight for yourself in many cases...

You mean you get means tested. If you can afford to do with less than EUR188, then you do.

carm wrote: »

What year was that? Seriously? E400 a month rent?!

I meant for a room, not an entire property. You don't want to know who high rents are here in London.

CiaranC

bluewolf wrote: »

Because it's work? Paid work over and above welfare?!

A lot of people, believe it or not, dont like working. Especially those whose choice is the dole or some crappy minimum wage job.

dan_d

djpbarry wrote: »

Actually, I believe the OP is grossing EUR480 per week. That’s more than I take home in a week and I earn considerably more than the median income in the UK.

I've an interview this week for a job that I hope to God I get and will pay me 480eur a week (gross).That's in Ireland, with a mortgage.

I will not be comparing with the dole. As long as I'm not unemployed anymore, that's all that matters to me.

keithclancy

djpbarry wrote: »

I meant for a room, not an entire property. You don't want to know who high rents are here in London.

Depends where in London in all fairness

carm

djpbarry wrote: »

You mean you get means tested. If you can afford to do with less than EUR188, then you do.
I meant for a room, not an entire property. You don't want to know who high rents are here in London.

Yes, it's means tested. Which does not mean "if you have no means, you're entitled to anything" either. Granted, if you've money in the bank, you fend for yourself. I've no money in the bank and I'm still only entitled to e24 a week and this is what I am currently "living" on, not "after paying bills, etc".

Let's get off this "people on the dole don't want jobs and get more money than some workers" this is just bull. Let's have a look at the REALITY of many people's lives, not the perception everyone standing in line at the social welfare office every month is that "lazy arsed scum" who never worked a day in their lives. There are some, but many of us are struggling to meet "accommodation, bills and food" nevermind worrying about how bad we have it at work.

Room in London? I don't think a room would suit a family but hey, in my case my options right now are starting to get extremely limited.

djpbarry

carm wrote: »

Granted, if you've money in the bank, you fend for yourself. I've no money in the bank and I'm still only entitled to e24 a week and this is what I am currently "living" on, not "after paying bills, etc".

There must be a reason why your payment was reduced. If you have no means to fend for yourself, then you’d still be earning close to the full EUR188.

carm wrote: »

Let's get off this "people on the dole don't want jobs and get more money than some workers" this is just bull.

Yes it is bull. But of course, nobody has put forward such a suggestion.

carm wrote: »

Let's have a look at the REALITY of many people's lives, not the perception everyone standing in line at the social welfare office every month is that "lazy arsed scum" who never worked a day in their lives.

Again, nobody has suggested any such thing.

carm wrote: »

Room in London? I don't think a room would suit a family but hey, in my case my options right now are starting to get extremely limited.

I’m not suggesting a family move into a single room. I was simply trying to make the point that EUR100 per week is a significant amount of money.

carm

djpbarry wrote: »

There must be a reason why your payment was reduced. If you have no means to fend for yourself, then you’d still be earning close to the full EUR188.
Yes it is bull. But of course, nobody has put forward such a suggestion.
Again, nobody has suggested any such thing.
I’m not suggesting a family move into a single room. I was simply trying to make the point that EUR100 per week is a significant amount of money.

E188 is "jobseekers benefit" which last 12 months. You don't "earn" your social welfare, you are entitled to them. After the 12 months is up, you are means tested. My entitlement has been reduced thanks to our disgraceful social welfare system and no, I have no means to fend for myself and family based on what I "am entitled to". It's not all "black and white" that you are entitled to E188 or not. There are specific criteria to squeeze into these entitlements. If you don't fit the criteria, you're entitled to whatever is left over or just plain nothing.

It's a long long drawn out story that I've been writing to all my local TDs, MABS, INOU to respond to but the answer is, "that's the system" as it was created.

I would agree with you though, E100 per week is a significant amount of money, particularly when you're living practically on thin air.

srsly78

You didn't answer the question. You must have assets/income that have resulted in your payment being reduced. Do you own a house?

Gulliver

Both the OP and his wife are now working. He has two kids. Has he factored the cost of childcare into the equation? If they are older, or you are living near a willing family member it doesn't matter, but if they are pre-school age, it can be an unexpected downside of returning to work.

55hrs work and 3 days away from the family doesn't seem appealing, but I'll let you into a secret - I was getting sh1t wages and working long hours during the boom, so we lived frugally. Now I'm unemployed, there isn't a noticeable drop in our standard of living. I got JB for a year, then nothing. My wife is lucky enough to still have her job thankfully, and I'm applying for jobs, even those I know I can't get, but might get lucky.

IMO (and it is just my opinion) only the people who had good jobs and lived it up during the boom are really hurting now.