Fired in America, Protected in Germany: A Global Look at Worker Rights

If you got laid off tomorrow, which country would you want to be working in? This episode of Power, Profit and Policy compares worker protections in the U.S., China, South Korea, and Germany — and the answer isn't close. We break down Germany's codetermination system (where employees sit on corporate supervisory boards and get real veto power over restructuring), using Volkswagen's massive workforce reduction as a live case study. Then we contrast that with South Korea's two-tier "regular" vs. "non-regular" worker system, China's murky unemployment insurance rules covering under 15% of jobless workers, and the patchwork of at-will employment, union representation, and the toothless WARN Act in the United States.

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