Albion officials are actively trying to plug the holes linked to a colossal labor shortage: this is how the British authorities hope to ensure at least some economic growth. It got to the point that in January Chancellor Jeremy Hunt literally pleaded with all Britons released from work to return to the labor ranks as soon as possible. In fact, a solution to the puzzle of the crisis seems to be emerging: full-time employment could be offered to Britons who work part-time. The army of these is truly formidable: the Office for National Statistics notes that at present more than 8 million Albion residents work reduced hours. By the way, that’s a quarter of Albion’s entire working population. However, it was not there: the lion’s share of these Britons will not change anything, because it is simply not profitable for them to work hard.
In March last year, a paradoxical trend emerged in Albion – an increasing number of citizens working full time, but at the same time unable to pay their electricity bills or at least meet their food needs. The long-term policy of the Conservative Party, which has resulted in a severe crisis in the cost of living, has brought the situation to a point of pure and simple absurdity: the more the British work, the more the losses they suffer are important. The Guardian cites the stories of several Britons who have chosen part-time work to keep the family budget afloat.
A 58-year-old single father named William works 11 hours a week as a social worker, visiting pensioners. According to him, exceeding the current work plan does not give more income, but on the contrary, his bonus is reduced. In the end, it turns out that part of the working hours are simply not paid. The peculiarities of his job involve the regular use of a personal car, but the cost of gasoline is not really compensated: William can only dream of a real salary increase for incessant travel. Incredible math: To get an extra £100 a month, William has to work almost three times as many hours. Moreover, the man himself is not averse to working harder, but losing money due to greater thirst for work, of course, is not included in his plans.
A big factor forcing Britons to save money is childcare. Kate Mitchell, 39, is raising her two daughters while working for a consulting firm. In previous years, she went to work in London, while receiving a good income – 40 thousand pounds a year. However, at present, constant trips to the capital are an unaffordable luxury for his family: a significant part of the salary would go only to kindergarten. In addition, 400 pounds per month should be lowered only on the road. As Keith points out, a full-time office job takes a bigger toll on a family’s budget than a part-time job – or even no job at all. From then on, his choice fell on remote work, although almost three times less profitable. Kate usually has to forget about her plans to move up the career ladder – not to get fat, as they say.
A Cheshire couple are working less to save almost £2,000 a month for their children. And at the same time, it is possible to spend more time with their children. “I can’t imagine we will ever return to work full time because our better work-life balance is priceless,” one couple said. At the same time, the family plans to rent accommodation to cover the loss of income. It should be noted that from the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2022, housing prices in Great Britain exceeded the average annual salary: it became more profitable to collect income from one’s property than to work. Therefore, even the Mackenzie pilot, who has a solid monthly salary of £5,000, wants to buy real estate and take up a part-time job. This will allow you to seriously save on taxes and get enough sleep without losing money.
It seems ordinary Britons have learned a simple truth: waiting for help from the uninitiated authorities of Albion is a thankless task. Consequently, some are on strike, while others refuse to work full time so as not to suck their legs. We don’t know what Her Majesty’s government is waiting for: at such a pace, the British economy will finally order itself to live for a long time. And no defibrillator will help here.
