1. Mexico
Average Hours Worked: 9.54
Recently,
Richard Hammond of the TV program “Top Gear” managed to upset the
Mexican Ambassador to the U.K. by suggesting that Mexicans were “lazy,
feckless, flatulent [and] overweight”. The OECD’s research, however, may
go some way to ward redressing the balance by showing that the Mexican
people are in fact the hardest working in the world, working a total of
nearly 10 hours on average every day. They also have the second-highest
level of income inequality and the highest level of relative poverty
among OECD countries.
2. Japan
Average Hours Worked: 9
The
second-hardest working nation among OECD member countries will probably
come as no surprise to anybody. Japan’s adherence to its work ethic is
legendary with company employees often competing to stay at work later
than their colleagues to achieve promotion in many corporations, where
company loyalty is demanded and where a job for life still means life.
Japanese people work an average 9 – hour day while the unemployment at
5.3 percent is well below the OECD average of 8.1 percent.
3. Portugal
Average Hours Worked: 8.48
While
some people might think that the Portuguese live a relaxed
Mediterranean lifestyle, they in fact rank among some of the hardest –
working in the world. Men do nearly two hours of unpaid work in
Portugal, compared to less than an hour in other OECD countries such as
Korea and Japan. The amount of time devoted to unpaid work accounts for
up to 53 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the country, the
highest proportion of all OECD countries, compared to 19 percent of GDP
in Korea. Meanwhile, 60 percent of the Portuguese population spends time
cooking and cleaning, spending the third largest amount of time on
household chores at 110 minutes per day.
4. Canada
Average Hours Worked: 8.37
Canadians
have the second – highest rate of “positive experiences” in the OECD
after Iceland – feeling well-rested, being treated with respect,
smiling, doing something interesting, and experiencing enjoyment. At the
same time, Canadians have above OECD average “negative experiences,”
such as pain, worry, sadness, stress and depression. Canada has the
sixth highest proportion of its population foreign-born in the OECD at
20 percent, nearly double the OECD average of 11.7 percent.
5. Estonia
Average Hours Worked: 8.36
At
8 hours and 36 minutes, Estonians – yes we did say Estonians – have the
fifth – highest total work time in the OECD, well over the OECD average
of 8 hours and 4 minutes. At 3 hours and 52 minutes, Estonians do the
fourth – highest unpaid work time after Turkey, Mexico and Australia,
and well above the OECD average of 3 hours and 28 minutes. However, at
14.1 percent , Estonian unemployment is also the third – highest in the
OECD, six percentage points above the OECD average of 8.1 percent.
6. Austria
Average Hours Worked: 8.29
At
nearly 8 1/2 hours of work per day, Austrians have the sixth – highest
total time spent working – both paid and unpaid – in the OECD. (The OECD
average is 8 hours.) Austria also has the fifth – lowest unemployment
rate in the OECD at 4.8 percent – far lower than the average OECD rate
of 8.1 percent. Austria has low income inequality and poverty rates with
around 7.2 percent of the population on relatively low income or
classed as being in poverty in both cases.
7. China
Average Hours Worked: 8.24
The
research also included non-OECD member countries such as China, India,
South Africa, and Brazil because all are “enhanced engagement countries”
— which means OECD members have opted to forge a more structured and
coherent partnership with them. The research states that, at less than
an hour, both men and women spend very little time on unpaid work in
China, in comparison with other countries, particularly in terms of
cooking and cleaning. Meanwhile, at 12.29 births per 1,000 of the
population, China has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, equal
to France and the United Kingdom. The average birth rate stands at 1.54
children per woman.
8. New Zealand
Average Hours Worked: 8.18
New
Zealand may not be famed for its work ethic, but it actually ranks
quite high. Unpaid work in New Zealand accounts for 43 percent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), the third highest in the OECD after Australia
(46 percent) and Portugal (53 percent). Along with Israel, Iceland and
Turkey, New Zealand is one of only four OECD countries with a fertility
rate at 2.14 children per woman, sufficient to replace the population in
the coming generation.
9. USA
Average Hours Worked: 8.16
According
to the OECD the U.S. is only ranked ninth among the hardest working
nations. However, at $31,000, the U.S. has the second – highest average
household income after taxes and benefits in the OECD, after Luxembourg.
But U.S. income is distributed relatively unequally, with both the
fourth – highest rate of income inequality and relative poverty (17.3
percent of people are poor compared to an OECD average of 11.1 percent)
in the OECD. People in the U.S. have a life expectancy of 77.9 years,
lower than the OECD average of 79.3 years, despite having the highest
public and private spending on health at 16 percent of GDP, considerably
higher than the OECD average of 9 percent.
10. Slovenia
Average Hours Worked: 8.15
Slovenia
rounds out the top 10 in terms of average hours worked among the
population of OECD member states, possibly as a result of the fact that
Slovenians do three hours and 51 minutes of unpaid work each day, 24
minutes more than the OECD average. Slovenia also has the lowest income
inequality in OECD and the ninth – lowest relative income poverty rate
at 7.8 percent of its population. Slovenia registered a big fall in
infant mortality in the last generation and has the second lowest rate
in the OECD of 2.1 per 1,000 live births, just after Luxembourg. But the
country is rated in the highest third of the OECD for perceived
corruption and the lowest third for confidence in national institutions.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD)
released its ‘Society at a Glance’ survey, which investigated the number
of hours the population of its member countries spent in both paid and
unpaid work (defined as working at home or doing volunteer work), as
well as how much time people spent in leisure activities. Lets take a
look at which countries are among the world’s busiest and
hardest-working nations?