Employers vs Employees - Are People Taking Advantage?

[mneylon]

I've noticed a few job postings in the last couple of weeks where the salary was either stupidly low (you'd have difficulty putting food on the table) or they expected you to work for the "experience"

So are some companies abusing the economic situation?

Are some people being abused as a result?

 

[gav240z]

Yep

It wouldn't surprise me in the least. My g/f took a substaintial pay reduction just to get a job a few months ago. Her qualifications mean she is earning lower than a graduate would have pre-economic crisis and she's got several years experience.

The problem is you don't have much bargaining power when you can't find work.

 

[Drake]

That's my impression as well from looking at the job listings. It's a self-defeating strategy in a way because if the employer hires an overqualified but underpaid person, first thing they will do when things pick up is leave the company for a better opportunity.

 

[TheMenace]

It's a self-defeating strategy

Absolutely. I'd certainly be wary of commissioning design/development work to a company if I knew their production staff were highly inexperienced and underpaid. If 75% of my budget is going on process and paying the salary of an overpaid suit instead of on creative/technical talent and quality product.

Most Irish clients don't think about it in those terms but they'll get it eventually.

 

[Byron]

Yea people are expecting cheap labour, but they don't realise if you give people peanuts, you get monkeys!

 

[CaliMcGinley]

I've been seeking work since last June. And can without a doubt say the current economic situation is been abused heavily, I've been looking at unpaid work and am doing volunteer work myself to add to my experience but the work placement programs such as Fas.ie is littered with companies trying there hand at getting free websites, I've only seen 4-5 genuine web companies offering some kind of placement the rest are just IT managers and Hr departments with nothing to offer to the unpaid slave. One even copy pasted job description from jobs.ie to give impression of technical knowledge.

I'll happily work unpaid 6 or 9months for a company who can offer me real experience and I can improve my skills and learn but to try and live on €196 a week, relocate and do 9to5 for no personal benefit is slavery.