A Sydney-based entrepreneur has slammed the nation’s workers as ‘lazy’, ‘expensive’ and ‘entitled’, arguing they need to be more like Americans where if you don’t work, ‘you’re dead’.
Allen Fu shared his low opinion on the work ethic of Australians in a TikTok rant on Thursday, arguing they are paid too much welfare by Centrelink.
Mr Fu said: ‘That’s why Australians are lazy, bro. If you don’t wanna work, no worries – we’ll give you $1,000 a fortnight so you can live. If you go to America, you don’t wanna work? You’re dead. It’s crazy.
‘Every country I visited, when they met Aussies their first perspective was ‘oh, you guys are lazy c****’. Everyone’s lazy – 5pm clock-off and done.’
Mr Fu’s $1,000 figure is an exaggeration – Centrelink’s JobSeeker or ‘dole’ program pays a maximum fortnightly amount of $668.40 to a single person with no children.
Mr Fu (above) said a lot of Aussies suffer from ‘tall poppy syndrome’ where they’d rather bring down successful people than work hard themselves
The Federal government welfare agency pays $608.70 for a partnered person and $915.40 for a single principal carer who takes care of a large family or has other responsibilities such as foster care arrangements. The payments are also paid out with requirements that jobseekers apply for a certain number of jobs.
In his video, Mr Fu then explained how the work culture in other countries he’s visited stacks up against Australia’s.
‘Over there they keep working, go to get drinks, they work at night,’ he said.
‘Their boss calls at 1am, they’ll work. Here it’s ‘what do you mean, you can’t call me. I’m off work’.
‘The working culture here in Australia is s***. Staff are expensive, they’re entitled – anywhere else on the planet they’re grateful for a job.
‘It’s not even our fault, society and the government have conditioned us to be like that.’
However, hundreds of commenters pointedly disagreed with Mr Fu and poked fun at him for rubbishing Australian working conditions.
He applauded overseas workers – like Americans – for working extra long hours, being available at all times of the day and acting ‘grateful’ for employment
‘I’ve never, in my life, seen anyone so upset to be treated well,’ one person wrote.
‘Work culture is amazing bro, you should work to live not the other way around,’ another said.
‘Either this dude is oblivious to being exploited or he lets money run his life,’ another person commented.
A fourth commenter wrote: ‘Workers aren’t overworked and can still keep their job. They’re even paid properly?? This is terrible.’
Another said: ‘Man thinks he’ll be on his deathbed wishing he had picked up just one more 12-hour shift.’
However, Mr Fu said commenters were missing the main point of the video.
He said Aussies need an improved mindset about work – not worse working condition.
‘Australians are the worst for tall poppy syndrome, it’s just the mentality we have,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘In Australia when you see someone drive past in a nice car you immediately go to make a snide remark or joke they’re a drug dealer.
‘Whereas when I was living in America I would see people ask successful people “how did you do that? Can I come work for you? What do I do to get to where you are?”.
‘Here, people whinge they’re not rich but they don’t want to work.’
Australian entrepreneur Allen Fu (above) said Australian workers are ‘lazy’, ‘expensive’ and ‘entitled’
Mr Fu said he’s often heard people making sarcastic remarks about his own success and accused him of receiving handouts.
‘I come from a poor immigrant family – my parents would work 16 hours a day and up to three jobs at a time,’ he said.
‘Growing up I promised myself I’d never be in that position again and I put the work in.’
He added other small business owners are struggling to find dedicated staff that are willing to put the extra effort in when needed.
‘Staffing has been really hard, Australian workers ask for a lot when they have little to no experience,’ he said.
‘As a generalisation – Millennials are afraid of hard work.
‘People used to want a get a job and prove themselves but that mentality doesn’t exist as much in this generation.
‘If you aren’t prideful in your work you’ll never see progress.’
Several other commenters under the 30-second video said their own businesses are suffering because it’s hard to find dedicated workers.
‘It’s true, I agree, staff are entitled and don’t want to work but still want to be paid. Small business’s hurt,’ one commenter wrote.
‘It’s the same in UK. That’s why economies are declining and the rest is rising,’ another said.
‘It’s 100 per cent true, too easy to get the dole (payments) here,’ a third person wrote.
