>> there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment
>Why would there be? Nobody I know is signing employment contracts or working in Civil Service positions.
Probably not true in the US, but in Europe many a 35yo has grown up under the general assumption "get a good degree, get a job at a good company, and you are set for life", simply because it was their parents' experience.
In some countries, even in the private sector, getting fired was made very hard by local laws, until recent years.
I reckon your parents experience is totally reasonable - up to a certain age, they're your first call for any questions you have in life about literally anything. It's not until you've gained enough of your own experiences that you can make a judgement about what they've told you. I'm not sure it should take you up to your mid-thirties to learn these things, but hey, everyone's different.
Of course. I was answering as to why some people might have had the expectation of indefinite employment at some point, which in some places was somewhat justified until recently.
>Why would there be? Nobody I know is signing employment contracts or working in Civil Service positions.
Probably not true in the US, but in Europe many a 35yo has grown up under the general assumption "get a good degree, get a job at a good company, and you are set for life", simply because it was their parents' experience.
In some countries, even in the private sector, getting fired was made very hard by local laws, until recent years.
https://italychronicles.com/italys-article-18-woes/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/frances-new-layoff-law-triggers...
https://www.thelocal.es/20170521/spains-labour-reform-delive...