Posted on 04/13/2011 10:20:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Everyone likes to think they work harder than everyone else, but the latest OECD data may surprise some Europeans and Americans who expected to be at the top of the world's hard work list.
The latest data from the OECD sheds light on not just paid work, but also unpaid work such as cooking and other housework.
Notable absentees from the top 14 include Germany, France, and the UK. All of the countries listed have a work day longer than the OECD average.
Note: This list only considers OECD countries. Data released April 12, 2011.
CLICK THIS LINK for the list and the breakdown of average hours worked.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
US #9, Mexico #1... save yourself the click.
“Mexico #1”
Well, you have to grow the coca, harvest the coca, process the coca, package the coca, same with the weed, which gets bugs and needs pesticide, you know, transport, and then there’s the security which is insane, of course, distribution, and the whole banking industry side of things.
I am surprised they have time for Cinco de Mayo.
¿Trabajo? que?
I’ve seen other surveys that had the US at #2, behind Japan. The conclusions of this one seem profoundly .... counter-intuitive.
I’m questioning their metrics. Basing a “hard work” ethic on paid hours worked vs. unpaid hours worked is ridiculous. I’m on call every other week, and while I get a small stipend for that “inconvenience,” it often doesn’t come close to the pay I would get if my salary was broken down hourly.
Hence the reason I said, “save your clicks.”
I also question the metrics used. This doesn’t account for annual totals, but merely gives a snapshot of a day in which work is conducted. As far as I can tell it does not take into account how many days off people take during the year. So if you work 600 hours a day but take two months off during the year, you are not working as hard as someone who works 500 hours a day but never gets any vacation.
Can’t argue with any of the Asian countries on that list.
But I know people who have been to Portugal and Turkey who would take serious issue with both.
If Sweden made the list it’s only because everyone there has to beg for overtime to have any disposable cash left after taxes.
But what is the motive?
It's pretty easy to see how this gets tipped to third-worlders. If a housewife lives in the US, it takes about 1 1/2 hours to do a load of laundry. In a third-world country, it take a lot longer to wash clothes by the stream with a pair of rocks. Procuring bread for the evening meal is a trip to the Krogers vs an afternoon spent milling wheat and baking loaves.
I, as many of the other posters here, have serious doubts about the metrics, and the sentence I highlighted is the most obvious clue.
Probably white guilt.
Probably so. It’s so prevalent nowadays.
I lived in Portugal for three months and in Turkey for a year. I am surprised to see Portugal on the list but not Turkey. The Turks put a lot of time in and, in general, have a diverse and productive economy. Inflation, however, is awful.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.