Reflections on Iceland, Unemployment, & Society
I was approved for unemployment benefits yesterday, and thanks to some “wise” decisions I made in the past year, I am now receiving more money than I was making at my job (after switching to part-time). It’s ironic in many ways, especially thinking of all the emails I sent out when I first moved to Iceland, begging to be a dishwasher. Even this past month, I sent out a good 20 job applications: everything from dishwashing, laundry service, cashier, bartender, waiter, tourism nonsense, reception, shift management, etc. I was rejected from everything. Again. Before I left my job, we did a round of hiring and received 900 applications within one week. That is to say, the job market here is bad.
Thankfully, with this good news, I don’t need to worry about finding just any job. I can focus on finding something I actually want. That’s the hope, anyway. Apparently my education and career in computer science doesn’t make me an appealing housekeeper candidate. Nor does my rich language and literature background make me an appealing dishwasher. I still find it funny, as I’ve mentioned before, how everyone in this country has a PhD or master’s. And they’re all bartenders, dishwashers, cooks, or receptionists. Therefore, I’m not a good dishwashing candidate because I didn’t actually finish my PhD.
Which brings me to my reflections. The rules to receive unemployment benefits in Iceland are quite simple: get a job, work a while, lose the job, get benefits. I didn’t even need to submit any paperwork. So, I published my third book this month and still made my usual salary. I would call that an excellent system. In fact, everything in Iceland has worked wonderfully for me so far; most of the systems here simply work. However, the ones that don’t “simply work” are nightmares, but that’s another story.
Yesterday, the weather was great. I’m getting into video production for an upcoming project, so I had the urge to go out and shoot. I asked myself who would be available to help, and of course, the answer was absolutely nobody. Because everyone was at work. This brings me to the topic of society. The apartment I live in is mine. I own it. It was a cheap apartment, so my monthly expenses are very low. If I consider my bills as my rent, then my benefits are great. This is the part where I say universal housing and universal income are entirely feasible.
It’s frustrating when I know that nothing will happen during workdays. I use that time to work as much as I can on my own stuff, but I wish other people were available, too. It only emphasizes how much life is wasted. I have so many friends still at my old workplace, and they despise it there. Some of them are part-time, and I’m making as much money as they are. So what’s the point of working a draining job you don’t enjoy when someone else is getting paid the same salary by the government? It’s beyond infuriating to see how broken society is. I get to pursue my dreams during my days. They do not. Yet I get paid the same. I got a good deal on an apartment that I can sell in the future. They need to move every 6-12 months and lose every penny spent on rent. It’s madness.
Our time is all we have in this world. Yes, working bad jobs can ultimately be good, such as how I got my life started here in Iceland. But what I gained from that experience was people: I gained access to people and built a life from that. Should there not be other ways to engage with people? School and work, must that really be all? I try and try to create these groups and different event series, but everyone is always busy — usually with work.
I could rant endlessly about my thoughts and feelings on this work-life imbalance. I’ll stop there for now. My point is that I’m frustrated. I would love a regular-hour job where I can do something I enjoy, such as writing, photography/videography, organizing events, teaching languages, and so on. Yet those aren’t available. I can still do that kind of work, but I must create that work for myself — as I’m doing now. It is not reasonable to expect every single person to be able to create a sustainable business of their own in order to do what they actually want to do. If you enjoy your current job, then you’re in a good position. If you don’t, the question is what can you possibly do?
The reason I went part-time was to make use of my time. I attended and hosted events, worked on my own stuff, and most importantly, relaxed. I tried to make the most of life, doing things such as reading. It isn’t fair when the question of free time isn’t answered with, “What should I do?” but rather, “Can I take an extra shift?” Because the housing market is in ruins and the cost of living is so high. I’m approaching two years living in Reykjavík, and I went to a nice restaurant on two occasions. Must people in their 20s and 30s only be able to have a nice dinner once per year? I’m not saying that people should get the newest phone or laptop when they come out. I am saying that people should be able to afford owning a car. Any car. Or having a nice meal on their birthday. I’m saying that life should be lived and not monetized. I’m saying that people should have time to read a book if they want to.
And because everyone else is running in the rat race, I drown in free time alone. I go to gallery openings where I’m the youngest attendee by at least 30 years. I study languages without anyone to practice with. I host events nobody has time to attend. I’m a photographer with no models, a videographer with no subjects. I would say I’m a writer with no audience, but at least I can say that fact isn’t true. Well, did I mention that I’m frustrated?
Nevertheless, life is what we make of it. I still build connections and spend time with friends when they’re available. I still go out into the world and find means of interaction. Other people make time for what they enjoy, one way or another. It’s not entirely doom and gloom. But Iceland is a country where national-celebrity musicians work in grocery stores and famous actors hustle as tour guides. I’m sure it’s similar in other parts of the world. And it isn’t that I’m complaining, I just really want to point out the things I see that I perceive as wrong. Nothing will change unless we do something to change it.
A friend of mine got her friend to push for a higher salary, and it worked. If we all said, “I won’t do this job for minimum wage,” then the employer would quite literally have no choice but to pay a higher salary. I wasn’t complacent at my last workplace. I truly wanted to change things. Instead, the result was me leaving. The worst part is how much sense everything made when I asked my questions: it’s a smart business decision to replace employees rather than improve their conditions. I argue that a leader should care about the happiness of those beneath them. Yet it makes sense, business-wise, to not care. That is how we ended up where we are. Like I said though, if we all put in the effort, we could change everything.