Yes this is the same sort of individual in the UK that pops up from the CBI crying wolf when ever anything changes in employment law - claiming that its hard to fire people.
Actually its not, employers always have the whip hand - what they are complaining abotu is that its harder to act in grossly bad ways in the UK.
I'm an entrepreneur from the UK living in NYC on an E-2 investor visa. The key factor in employing people in NYC is the 'at-will' employment : Just as I only have to give people one day's notice, so they are only obliged to give me the same. The reduced 'friction' in the system means that I can grow a company much more quickly - and not have a trailing obligation if an employee doesn't work out. This is a huge benefit compared to the UK. You may point out that this gives me incredible power over my employees : But it works both ways - somehow wages for those employees are higher than they would be in the UK...
As for maternity leave, the same issue exists in the USA, to the extent that any firing of an employee has to be non-discriminatory. As for health-care : That's a very expensive nightmare in the USA, and it would be far more efficient IMHO for it to be wrapped into a % tax levy, rather than flat monthly rates (but that's a rather political statement in the US).
Actually its not, employers always have the whip hand - what they are complaining abotu is that its harder to act in grossly bad ways in the UK.