Opinion Editorial | |
| Monday, September 7, 1998 | |
Europeans Work Less, and More are Unemployed |
Labor Day is the holiday annually set aside for the working man and woman. It is an extra day of rest for those who toil on the assembly lines, in the offices and all the other places where Americans earn their livings. Last year, the average American worked 1,904 hours, according to the International Labor Office in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the second longest work year among major countries (see figure). Only the Japanese worked longer, 1,990 hours per year on average. By contrast, most Europeans worked far less. In Germany, the typical worker worked just 1,573 hours in 1997. Not only are work hours lower in Europe, but they are falling more rapidly than here. Annual work hours have fallen 8.3 percent in Germany in the last ten years, while they have declined just 0.4 percent in the U.S. Of course, over time all countries have seen sharp reductions in work hours. In the last century, 10 hours days and 6 day workweeks were standard. According to economist Angus Maddison, the average American worker spent 2,974 hours on the job in 1870. This figure was about the same in Europe as well, where the lowest annual work hours were 2,935 in Austria. But even these figures do not put the magnitude of the work burden into full perspective because people started work at a younger age and lived a shorter life. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the average worker started working at the age of 13 in 1870 and life expectancy was just 43.5 years. Most workers were never able to retire at all and worked until they died. Today, the situation is much improved, however much people may complain about their jobs. Still there are those who believe that Americans are working too much and that the U.S. should adopt European-style labor policies. For example, most Europeans get 4 to 6 weeks of vacation per year, compared to just 1.5 to 2.5 weeks for Americans. But the Europeans pay a heavy price for their longer vacations in the form of higher unemployment. The unemployment rate is now above 11 percent in Germany, Italy and France. Naturally, such involuntary "vacations" are not accounted for in the work hours data. Although some people decry the lack of vacation time in the U.S., the evidence suggests that Americans generally prefer longer hours and the higher incomes that come with them, to fewer hours and lower incomes. Europeans have chosen the opposite course in part because their taxes are so much higher, making increased time-off the most cost-effect means of increasing their real incomes. Source: Bruce Bartlett, senior fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis, September 8, 1998. Home | Support Us | All Issues | Social Security Debate Central | Contact Us |
