Re: Sold to Germany??
>there will be pressure to drop down to US or lower entitlements
Got news for you (from the good 'ole USofA). What entitlements?
Most states in the US are what are known as "Right to Work" states. This bit of Doublethink actually means you have absolutely no rights -- you can be fired at any time without any reason with zero notice (you're also able to leave your job at any time, of course)(just don't bank on getting another one....). Unemployment is paid for by deductions from your paycheck, you should get it assuming you didn't leave work volutarily or get dismissed 'for cause'. It lasts typically six months at maximum and becomes part of your taxiable income for the year.
Sickness benefit is a good 'un. What's been going on in the company that I (fortunately) retired from is fairly typical. You get three days a year, anything beyond that comes out of your vacation time and once you've used that up..... (Vacation, BTW, is typically 10 paid days a year rising to 15 after 5 years. There are also a handful of public holidays but don't expect anything extra -- Christmas is one day, so is July 4th (it used to be customary to get two days off but since 2008 the belt got tightened and never got relaxed). If you want to make a public holiday into a long weekend typically have to book paid time off in advance to get paid for that holiday.
Then there's the benefits, absence thereof. I won't bore you further. Suffice to say that when I first came to the US in the 80s the UK's working week was 37.5 hours, 9 while 6 with lunchtime counting as work time. Now its 44 hours and its following US practice -- 8 while 5 and lunchtime is not paid. Back then the pay differential was worth getting screwed for, these days not so much but then there's the Brexit fiasco......talk about being between a rock and a hard place...... (Also, BTW, if you do come and live here you belong to the IRS. For life.....)