EFTA01071124.pdf

MillLoney A Service of CNN. Fortune & Money September 2, 2013 10 hardest working countries Where in the world do workers toil the most each year? The United States is high on the list, but a few other countries work even harder. MEXICO Average annual hours: 2,317 Average annual wages: $9,885 In Mexico, workers average 45 hours a week, the most of any industrialized nation. They work about 519 hours more than the typical American worker each year, only to earn less than a fifth of the pay. When the OECD ranks industrialized nations by education and work-life balance, Mexico comes out on the bottom in both cases. Only about a third of adults -- ages 25 to 64 -- have earned the equivalent of a high school diploma. There's also a huge gender gap in the job market. Whereas 78% of men have jobs, only about 43% of adult women work for pay. CHILE Average annual hours: 2,102 Average annual wages: $15,820 In Chile, about 16% of all workers labor more than 50 hours a week. Over a year, Chileans work about 300 hours more than a typical American worker. Social inequality is the worst of any industrialized nation, according to OECD. The top 20% of the population lives on about $31,000 a year after taxes, while the bottom 20% take home less than $2,400 a year. KOREA Average annual hours: 2,092 Average annual wages: $35,406 Page I 1 of 4 EFTA01071124 Korea's labor force is still deeply tied to traditional gender roles. About 75% of Korean men work in paid jobs, while only 53% of women do so. At home, men spend an average of 45 minutes per day cooking, cleaning or caring -- one of the lowest levels of male domestic work among industrialized nations. This is five times less than the average Korean woman, who spends 227 minutes per day on domestic work. As Korea's working age population ages, it is faced with a dual challenge: too few babies and too little female employment, the OECD says. ESTONIA Average annual hours: 2,021 Average annual wages: $17,323 In Estonia, wages are low and long-term unemployment is high, compared to other European countries. Those who are employed tend to work a full 40-hour week and flexible work schedules are uncommon. Only 10% of Estonian employees work part-time. RUSSIAN FEDERATION Average annual hours: 2,002 Average annual wages: $15,286* The common work week is 40 hours long in Russia, and strict overtime laws mean few workers go beyond 50 hours. Meanwhile, Russian labor laws grant all workers 28 days of paid vacation, in addition to public holidays. That said, the average Russian worker still puts in 200 more work hours each year than an American, mainly because part-time work is rare. Only about 5% of employees work part time. POLAND Average annual hours: 1,893 Average annual wages: $20,069 The average Polish worker averages 40 hours a week, but for about 10% of working men in the country, the work week extends more than 50 hours. Temporary jobs are also quite common, with about one in five Polish workers employed on short-term contracts. Page I 2 of 4 EFTA01071125 UNITED STATES Average annual hours: 1,798 Average annual wages: $54,450 Four out of five American employees work at least 35 hours a week, and the country is the only developed nation not to guarantee workers a right to some vacation time each year. Unlike most European countries, U.S. labor laws also don't guarantee workers access to paid sick leave or maternity leave. Workers in the mining and logging industry tend to work the longest hours, averaging 44 hours a week. HUNGARY Average annual hours: 1,797 Average annual wages: $19,437 In 2002, Hungary considered shortening the official work week to 38 hours, with even the country's prime minister on board. But the proposal never became law, and about 71% of employed Hungarians still work 39 to 41hours a week. Like in other Central European countries, the share of part-time work is very low. Only about 5% of Hungarian workers average fewer than 30 hours a week. JAPAN Average annual hours: 1,765 Average annual wages: $35,143 Japanese workers have a reputation for working long hours. In 2012, the average Japanese worked ranked ninth among industrialized nations for the most hours worked each year. But Japanese work hours have gradually declined since the 1990s. Whereas workers in Japan averaged 1,910 hours a year back in 1995, they worked 145 fewer hours in 2012. SLOVAK REPUBLIC Average annual hours: 1,749 Average annual wages: $19,068 Flexible work schedule? What's that? Page 13 of 4 EFTA01071126 Similar to Russia, part-time work is practically non-existent in the Slovak Republic. Only 4% of workers in the country work fewer than 30 hours a week. Page I 4 of 4 EFTA01071127