.

.Americans work longer, more productive than Aussies
.Norway has highest productivity per worker per hour
.South-East Asian workers produce twice as much

AMERICANS work longer hours and are more productive than Australians, many Europeans and workers from other rich nations, a UN report has found.

The UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the average Australian, Canadian and Japanese worker worked about 100 hours, or 2.5 weeks less per year than the average American.

Brazilians and British workers worked 250 hours, or more than five weeks less, while Germans worked roughly 500 hours, or 12.5 weeks less.

However, when measured as value added per hour worked, Norway had the highest labour productivity level per worker at $46.55, followed by the US at $43.66 and France at $42.99.

South-East Asia productivity

The ILO report, titled Key Indicators of the Labour Market, said the US still led the world in productivity per person employed in 2006, despite a rapid increase of productivity in South-East Asia where workers now produced twice as much as they did 10 years ago.

The acceleration of productivity growth in the US outpaced that of many other developed economies, with $78, 255 of value added per person employed in 2006, followed by Ireland at $68,579, Luxembourg at $68,157 and Belgium, $67,660.

The ILO said the increase was mainly the result of companies combining capital, labour and technology more efficiently.

"A lack of investment in people training and skills as well as equipment and technology leads to an underutilisation of labour potential across the world," ILO director-general Juan Somavia said.

Working poor

The report also provided more insight into what the ILO calls international "decent work deficits" - work that isn't productive or delivers a fair income, is insecure and fails to provide social protection for families.

ILO said 1.5 billion people in the world – or one third of the working-age population – were “potentially underutilised”. This includes the 195.7 million unemployed people across the world, and nearly 1.3 billion working poor who live with their families on less than $2.40 per family member each day.

"Whereas the unemployed want to work but lack the opportunity to do so, the working poor are working but do not earn enough to escape poverty, " Mr Somavia said.

“Hundreds of millions of women and men are working hard and long but without the conditions they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

"These people risk falling deeper into poverty. Releasing their underutilised capacities by raising their productive potential must be at the top of the international development agenda."

http://www.news.com.au/da...28,00.html
[Edited 9/11/07 2:49am]

PricelessHo said:

That's it...I am moving.

it wasn't me

Now I'm depressed.

PricelessHo said:

These numbers probably come from the fact that Americans have such a very short paid holiday, because I don't think the average work days or work week are longer than in other countries.



How can they justify measuring productivity in money? The prices and salary levels are completely different in different countries, so if a Brazilian factory worker produces, say, 100 chairs in one day then those chairs will of course be worth less in dollars on the market than 100 chairs produced by an American factory worker, even though their efforts to produce these chairs are the same.

LOL whoever wrote that statistic about AUstralian's has not met the people I know that are still working in their 70's and 80's. My father is still a full time house painter at nearly 60, he works EVEARY day of the week the crazy man even after a back operation...my Nan is 86 and still works as well and my ex bosses father is in his 70's and works as well

retina said:

I think you're right. I only get about 2 weeks paid vacation, and I work 8 hour days. That's pretty average, though I know some people who work much longer hours and also get more vacation.

I NEVER thought or WOULD think that Americans are the hardest working.

Are you SERIOUS???

NDRU said:

I guess when you only have two weeks, it's crucial to spend them wisely, eh? If you don't charge up your batteries as much as possible it must be so difficult to get through the rest of the year. What's best in your opinion, to use both weeks in the middle of summer and go on a nice long trip, or to scatter the days here and there throughout the year and get "long weekends" where you can catch your breath for a moment?

retina said:

I think it's best to use at least a week at a time. We also get 2 "personal days" and of course there's sick time, so if you need a day off you can always take one.

I think I only took one week off last year because somehow I had three weeks vacation available this year. I took a week recently, and I'm going to take two more in November. I feel so European!

And then there's my four day work week...
[Edited 9/11/07 11:01am]

TotalANXiousNESS said:

they decided to count stay-at-home moms in

NDRU said:

I like the term "personal days". It seems to imply that it's nobody's business what you do with them, which I guess is also actually the case.



What are you doing in November?



Now that's sweet! I really wouldn't mind the 20% pay cut in order to get the fifth day off, but unfortunately those types of jobs are very rare here. It's usually either full-time or no-time.

retina said:

When I think Personal Day I always think of something naughty or gross. Or maybe just general meltdown.

I think we're going to Mexico, but I'm not sure yet. I was thinking of Vancouver, too, but it will be cold in November.

I can hardly imagine only having two days off per week. But I can imagine a nicer car!

NDRU said:

Meltdown Day, that's a great idea! I could have used a few of those in Japan.



Yeah, Vancouver is much nicer in the summer. But if it's a choice between going there now or not going there at all in a foreseeable future, then I'd still recommend going there now. It's such a wonderful city.



That's the problem with job priviliges, isn't it? Bloody addictive.

that's because so many of us work two jobs because otherwise we can't survive...