Solar eclipse: a week of job market blows
The solar eclipse has fuelled workplace superstition: layoffs, a public post left hanging and bad omens. Economic uncertainty lies behind it.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Eclipse and the economy: the week the bad omen took over
With the solar eclipse as a backdrop and the school year kicking off, this week's economic conversation has revolved around a string of job market blows. Sudden layoffs, a civil servant post left in limbo by a court case, and the antiestéticar that the wheel keeps turning.
The most striking case is that of a worker in Switzerland who was expecting a promotion and suddenly learned that his company has cut 30% of its workforce. It is not an omen: it is a restructuring. But the coincidence of several episodes in a short space of time feeds the idea that the eclipse has brought what ancient cultures antiestéticared.
Superstition and the job market
Superstition is still alive, especially in times of uncertainty. When employment depends on opaque corporate decisions and court proceedings over public posts, any excuse will do to channel the anguish. Losing 25 euros on a slot machine or finding a 5-euro note at the supermarket turns bad mood into bad luck. Even dog mess finds its place on the list of omens.
The truth is that no eclipse has ever laid anyone off. It is companies, courts and the real economy that do. The anxiety projected onto the sky has a far more earthly root: the fragility of employment. And nobody explains why, with rational explanations on the table, we keep looking at the star as the culprit. Perhaps because the economy offers no scapegoats quite so visible.
With the solar eclipse as a backdrop and the school year kicking off, this week's economic conversation has revolved around a string of job market blows. Sudden layoffs, a civil servant post left in limbo by a court case, and the antiestéticar that the wheel keeps turning.
The most striking case is that of a worker in Switzerland who was expecting a promotion and suddenly learned that his company has cut 30% of its workforce. It is not an omen: it is a restructuring. But the coincidence of several episodes in a short space of time feeds the idea that the eclipse has brought what ancient cultures antiestéticared.
Superstition and the job market
Superstition is still alive, especially in times of uncertainty. When employment depends on opaque corporate decisions and court proceedings over public posts, any excuse will do to channel the anguish. Losing 25 euros on a slot machine or finding a 5-euro note at the supermarket turns bad mood into bad luck. Even dog mess finds its place on the list of omens.
The truth is that no eclipse has ever laid anyone off. It is companies, courts and the real economy that do. The anxiety projected onto the sky has a far more earthly root: the fragility of employment. And nobody explains why, with rational explanations on the table, we keep looking at the star as the culprit. Perhaps because the economy offers no scapegoats quite so visible.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (27 replies).
More summaries
-
Debate on Women's Career Maturity and Labor Market
Analysis of the controversy over women's career maturity at thirty, contrasting individualism with social expectations.
-
Catalonia to establish AI system registry to regulate labor market impact
Catalonia is creating an AI systems registry and an observatory to analyze its labor impact. Investment of €1 billion until 2030.
-
The Search for Stability: Why Civil Service Appeals in the Job Market
An analysis of why civil service attracts: the contrast between public security and the precariousness of the Spanish labor market.
-
Moscow: the European capital the narrative calls ruined and the data doesn't
Moscow is presented as the only European capital with wealth and glamour, but the list of Warsaw, Prague or Budapest and the Tajikistan figure ($1,940 versus…
-
If elections were held tomorrow, I'd vote for Sánchez without a second's hesitation
Voting for Spain's current government is explained as a survival calculation in a system that prioritises income transfers over prosperity.
-
Spain is fucking red, left-wing as we saw in Gandalusia
Why does the left remain strong in Spain despite corruption? We look at the seat count and the weight of the captive vote of civil servants and pensioners.