A Story

 Around 35 years ago....I lived in the Kaiserslautern community.  Next door was this guy....married....three kids...around 30 years old.

I was sort briefed by my wife (German) that the guy typically held a job for six to eight months....then would get laid off.  Reason?  Well....he was a pretty hefty smoker of cannabis (weed).

It reached a point as we lived there....he eventually went on long-term unemployment.  His statement to the gov't office paying this.....working was stressful.

About  three years into this long-term situation....the job-office kinda demanded he take a job.  He lasted about four weeks....before saying he was ill, and getting a doctor's note.

Six months passed....another attempt to get him hired-up.  That led to another illness situation and another doctor's note.

We lived around the area until 2013.  If I were guessing....they attempted to place him on at least a dozen occasions....each failing.

My wife kept some contact, and somewhere around 2015....the gov't office must have gotten hardass with the doctor,  and said we are going to start second-guessing your notes.  Getting a sick note was now next to impossible.

It's odd....at that point....the guy was forced into employment.  

But now he started to try quitting work here, and getting hired with a new job....always saying the stress was too much.

I would take a guess that he probably worked for at least 15 companies in that period.

As the Covid period came around....he had issues (breathing, asthma-related).  He apparently passed away in early 2024.

If you bring up scenarios like this with most Germans....they get hyped-up (angry, frustrated).  Out of the 84-million in population....there's a belief that roughly a million folks exist at this level....no desire to work.  

I only bring this up...because of the ongoing saga in the US....same issue....probably upwards to 7-to-10 million....long-term unemployed.