French: The most productive people in the world

[bmc]

....and they have topless beaches!

.................................................. .............................

A new survey from UBS has shown that the French continue to work the least amount of hours per year in the world. Once again, the French have blown away the competition.

People work an average of 1,902 hours per year in the surveyed cities but they work much longer in Asian and Middle Eastern cities... People in Lyon and Paris, by contrast, spend the least amount of time at work according to the global comparison: 1,582 and 1,594 hours per year respectively.

Upon seeing this data, some might criticize the French for being lazy, but that misses the point completely. The real message here is that the French are likely some of the most productive people in the entire world.

Think about it. Nationmaster ranks France as #18 in terms of GDP per capita, at $36,500 per person, yet France works much less than most developed nations. They achieve their high standard of living while working 16% less hours than the average world citizen, and almost 25% than their Asian peers as per UBS. Plus, if you visit France you'll also realize that their actual standard of living is probably much higher than GDP numbers would indicate.

Thus, if one were to divide France's GDP per capita by actual hours worked, you'd probably find that the French are achieving some of the highest returns on work-hours invested. Labor Alpha, if you will.

We can actually calculate this Labor Alpha using statistics from Nation Master.

France has $36,500 GDP/Capita and works 1,453 hours per year. This equates to a GDP/Capita/Hour of $25.10. Americans, on the other hand, have $44,150 GDP/Capita but work 1,792 hours per year. Thus Americans only achieve $24.60 of GDP/Capita/Hour.

This puts the French Labor Alpha at about $0.50 GDP/Capita/Hour over the US. It may sound small at first, but add that up across millions of people, and a few decades. Now you've built a lesson for the rest of the world to learn.

Winning is not about working hard. It's about working smart... and less. As the French know well.


Read more: French: The Most Productive People In The World

[knumbskull]

shorter hours is the way forward i reckon

that's why i loved working freelance at home - i found i got a day's work done in 4-5 hours, and had the rest of the day free for idle contemplation, creative enterprises and generally pottering about... bliss.

[pbasswil]

Interesting post.

I will point out one thing, though: The USA has an incredible divide between the wealthy and the poor. So in your productivity statistics, you're taking millions of people who work at McDonalds or similar crummy jobs, or who don't work at all, and combining their statistics with that of an unbelievably wealthy segment of Americans who live off their investments or their large businesses.
You get an average; but it's not actually representative of a particular majority of Americans, who are much more likely to fall into a higher or lower category.

Wickipedia says:
In the United States at the end of 2001, 10% of the population owned 71% of the wealth and the top 1% owned 38%. On the other hand, the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation's wealth.

France is a much more homogenous society, in terms of class and money. While there's a range of occupations -- farmer to business man, blue collar to white collar -- there's nothing like the extremes of the US. (The urban, often immigrant, unemployed are starting to shift French averages more in the direction of extremes; but they're not there yet.)

So the French statistics are more representative of a real average middle-class.

I don't mean to crap on your post -- just to add some perspective that I think is important to its interpretation.

[richnota]

Amazing. Based on those hours, the French work almost 7-10 weeks less a year than Americans (35-40 hour week).

Not surprising when you recognize that their government responds to people's needs while ours looks to business first. Then again their workers vote for their own interests....in the states we seem to vote for everything but (regardless of your politics)

The French worker has an incredible amount of protection and benefits. Not sure how long its going to last....lot of pressure to take stuff back and compete more globally.

Personally, I like France: Good coffee, pretty girls, nice architecture.

[Bassman316]

Originally Posted by richnota

Not surprising when you recognize that their government responds to people's needs while ours looks to business first. Then again their workers vote for their own interests....in the states we seem to vote for everything but (regardless of your politics)

+1

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by richnota

The French worker has an incredible amount of protection and benefits. Not sure how long its going to last....lot of pressure to take stuff back and compete more globally.

I never understood the correlation between having far-reaching social programs and the need to scale them back in order to be more competitive globally. Wouldn't having a healthy, well-adjusted citizenry actually be more beneficial when competing globally?

[pbasswil]

Originally Posted by richnota

... their government responds to people's needs while ours looks to business first. Then again their workers vote for their own interests....in the states we seem to vote for everything but (regardless of your politics)

The French worker has an incredible amount of protection and benefits. Not sure how long its going to last....lot of pressure to take stuff back and compete more globally.
....

The people there are anything but apathetic. Every time their government tries to change a law, those folks are protesting in the streets -- as a unified block!

I remember some years back their gov. tried to tamper with agricultural subsidies. All of a sudden, Paris was brought to a standstill by farmers from all over the country, on their tractors blocking every street!

[Bassman316]

Originally Posted by pbasswil

The people there are anything but apathetic. Every time their government tries to change a law, those folks are protesting in the streets -- as a unified block!

I remember some years back their gov. tried to tamper with agricultural subsidies. All of a sudden, Paris was brought to a standstill by farmers from all over the country, on their tractors blocking every street!

This is what needs to start happening in this country. Average people have been getting crapped on for a long, long time and it's time that the people as a whole take to the streets!

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by stratovani

I never understood the correlation between having far-reaching social programs and the need to scale them back in order to be more competitive globally. Wouldn't having a healthy, well-adjusted citizenry actually be more beneficial when competing globally?

Well, sure......... so long as you can achieve that without oppressive tax structures............

[pbasswil]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Well, sure......... so long as you can achieve that without oppressive tax structures............

Just for background:

France's personal income tax rates are way higher than in the US (as they are in most of the developed world).
But corporate income tax is lower.

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Well, sure......... so long as you can achieve that without oppressive tax structures............

But who says they have to be oppressive? And what does "oppressive" mean anyways? So far I havn't seen any Western European social democracy turn into something resembling Somalia (Greece notwithstanding). For example, Denmark has a very high tax rate, yet they're always at or near the top in all those "happiness" indices. Danes are obviously not emigrating from their country in droves!

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by Bassman316

This is what needs to start happening in this country. Average people have been getting crapped on for a long, long time and it's time that the people as a whole take to the streets!

48% of the people in the USA pay no federal tax whatsoever. That suggests that a whole lot of "average people" are getting a free ride instead of being crapped on...

[ADbassman]

Originally Posted by duff beer

48% of the people in the USA pay no federal tax whatsoever. That suggests that a whole lot of "average people" are getting a free ride instead of being crapped on...

Truth.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by duff beer

48% of the people in the USA pay no federal tax whatsoever. That suggests that a whole lot of "average people" are getting a free ride instead of being crapped on...

Source?

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Source?

Half of Americans pay no federal income tax - Business - Personal finance - Tax Tactics - msnbc.com

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Source?

Is it really that hard to do a 20 second internet search?? By the way, I apologize, it's 47%, not 48%.

47% of households owe no tax - and their ranks are growing - Sep. 30, 2009

Yes, 47% of Households Owe No Taxes. Look Closer. - NYTimes.com

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by duff beer

Is it really that hard to do a 20 second internet search?? By the way, I apologize, it's 47%, not 48%.

47% of households owe no tax - and their ranks are growing - Sep. 30, 2009

Yes, 47% of Households Owe No Taxes. Look Closer. - NYTimes.com

If you claim something you can't be surprised if someone asks you to source it.

Thanks, btw.

[bassrique]

That NYT article says it's not true but then modifies the question. We're talking about Federal income taxes, even though this original quote leaves it more open:

Originally Posted by duff beer

no federal tax whatsoever

As an aside, anyone out there in real estate knows the staggering number of people on Social Security disability. It's great for landlords because it's steady guaranteed income, but it's a total scam in a large percentage (a majority?) of cases, but I digress.

[Staccato]

During my travels in Europe, the 'holiday' term was explained to me. It went something like: we are hired as a new employee knowing that we will have weekends off, and a month off in the summer. We're talking small companies-Mom & Pops. It may not be in very many countries, but it does sound like fun.

Let's hear it for morale, and some time for R & R.

Does that sound like the U.S.?

Nope, and we will (apparently) never embrace the idea of new employees having more than a week, or two off during their first, or second year...

[bassrique]

Before the economic crisis we've seen the last few years, I've observed a higher unemployment rate with a lower GDP in most European countries when compared to the US (with less economic mobility up and down the quintiles).

France - Unemployment rate - Historical Data Graphs per Year

What's high for us in terms of unemployment numbers has been the norm for much of Europe for decades.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I was an exchange student in France and it was lovely.