I live in Australia and there are only two cities which attract a lot of people, as such the job market is very competitive and the labor laws are very anti-worker. Here are a few examples of things that happen here which are not common in the US:
- Employees can get in legal trouble for not providing notice (see criminal record) while employers can let go of an employee at any time citing 'misconduct'.
- Unpaid trial shifts are common and legally encouraged by the government.
- Hundreds of people apply for a simply dishwashing job.
- Employees need to provide notice even if their employer fails to pay them, or the employee can be taken to the fair work tribunal (a court)
- Sham contracting is done by the government itself.
Little things like these add up.