I find it extremely unfair and detrimental that young adults (18-25) and adults (>25) are not treated equally in a number of European countries, including the Netherlands and United Kingdom. For the same effort and efficiency, these young people are paid considerably less than their older colleagues while being expected to achieve the same results. If they get paid 25% less money, it would be fair to assume that their efficiency could be 25% lower, wouldn't it? Of course not, they would lose the job very quickly. Moreover, the wage rate is often applied to employees of physical jobs that do not require any experience, so both a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old have roughly the same capabilities, chances of improvement and deliver similar results (based on the personal - physical and mental - features). Why would the other person earn £1.48 more per every hour in the UK? It's over £230 more every month, usually enough to pay for a modest accommodation (outside London) or cover monthly living expenses. I have worrying experience with the age wage rate in the Netherlands, where - as a 19-year-old - I was paid significantly less than my colleagues although the strict efficiency rules applied to everyone. With the small wage (lower by over 2 euros per hour), the same (!) costs of accommodation, travelling and living, my savings turned out to be insignificant and I resigned very quickly, in spite of the fact that I needed the funds to cover my university. I found a similar job in Germany where I was paid decently and I was treated equally to every other adult. This is something I would like everyone in the European Union to experience. Let's make it a reality!
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