Question

Do We Work Too Hard?

The second part of this discussion board is to address the question of whether we, in the U.S., work too hard. One of the limiting resources in our economy is time. As a society, we make choices about the allocation of time between work and leisure (i.e. anything that is unpaid). In the U.S., most workers are eligible for overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours in a week; whereas, most European workers become eligible after working 35 hours in a week. In addition, workers in Europe have guaranteed vacation time – five weeks in France – a benefit not available in the U.S. As a result, the typical U.S. worker puts in about 2,000 hours per year compared to 1700 hours per year in France and Germany.

For this part of the discussion board, you will address the question of whether U.S. law should be changed to require a shorter work week and longer vacation time. You need to provide two strong arguments on each side of this debate – (1) in support of the shorter work week and (2) against the shorter work week. Relevant concepts from the chapters should be considered when addressing this question and included in your arguments. If you use any other sources, be sure to cite them within the text as well as provide a bibliographical citation at the end.

Answer 1

Data indicates that an verage employed person in United States typically work for more labor hours annually than the average employed person in different regions of Europe.

We do not favour the legislation that allows more vacations and smaller workweeks. This is because this reduces productivity and this results in lower average income. With lower labor hours per year, the total product or the GDP is likely to fall as less labor is employed. This would increase the wage rate and have deterimental effects in production potential.

We can favour this legislation on the grouds of substitution and income effect. With more income, people tend to choose fewer working hours (backward bending supply) and paid leaves for vacations becomes a norm. This has happened in Europe but not in the US. There is a need to reduce working hours per week, that is, a shorter workweek so that both men and women have time to look after their families and enjoy a higher standard.