Australia

I’m sorry, bud, that sounds awful.

I’m in the middle of my third month unemployed now. Sent out a bunch of applications and had some HR interviews but man, no one wants to pay even what I was previously making let along anything liveable.

One place was a referral and they liked me a lot but, only slightly paraphrased, “didn’t want to start our partnership on the wrong foot by offering too low a salary”. Like bro you’ve already insulted me just give me the fucking offer and let me decide. Another place got to the second interview and it all went great and then I was ghosted and no one answered my follow-up email.

Every job I see wants me to work on-site 2hrs away from the city in some small town for pennies. And that’s only if I’m lucky enough to see the salary! The rest hide them so people who are more desperate than I am low-ball themselves in order to not scare away potential jobs. It’s so completely fucked up.

Not a single damn company will even acknowledge that inflation is real so I cannot afford to take lower pay just to watch it get worse every single year. The answer to every single one of our fucking problems all the way down to toxic masculinity I feel can definitely or at least probably be answered by PAYING EMPLOYEES PROPERLY SO THEY AREN’T CONSTANTLY IN FIGHT MODE. I see things like “how to increase the productivity of your workforce!” and just think pay them and give them the basic respect they deserve as living, breathing human beings and they’ll happily do a lot for you.

Companies are entitled. They clearly can’t afford to exist if they can’t pay their employees but instead of shutting down with grace they tell us it’s our fault. It’s fucking insane.