That's one thing I enjoy about Scandinavia - we have a very collaborative culture, where the community is above the individual. The concept of "gaming the system" is extremely frowned upon, and everyone should strive to be the morally best person they can be.
But if you're financially or materialistically motivated, there are some drawbacks with this, though.
- Higher taxes
- More compressed wages (an Engineer with a Master's Degree will for example "only" earn around 1.5-3 times what low-skill minimum wage workers earn - compared to other countries where this multiple could be 5-10)
- A bit less entrepreneurial spirit
With that said, I enjoy living here. Life is comfortable, and there's no endless pursuit of getting richer, just for the sake of becoming rich. Retirement is not the be-all and end-all goal of life here.
But if you're financially or materialistically motivated, there are some drawbacks with this, though.
- Higher taxes
- More compressed wages (an Engineer with a Master's Degree will for example "only" earn around 1.5-3 times what low-skill minimum wage workers earn - compared to other countries where this multiple could be 5-10)
- A bit less entrepreneurial spirit
With that said, I enjoy living here. Life is comfortable, and there's no endless pursuit of getting richer, just for the sake of becoming rich. Retirement is not the be-all and end-all goal of life here.