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Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

bloomberg.com

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Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#111

Post by nether »

ajmurmann wrote: post #32

I find it astonishing how positive Bloomberg tries to spin this: People earn a wider range of incomes in the U.S., so “workers have an incentive to try harder to move up the job ladder because a promotion is worth more,” said Dora Gicheva -The income range in the US is so large that there are lots of people at the bottom end who have to work multiple jobs. How much does that have to do with the longer work hours, Blo…

I'm crushing it. The harder I work, the luckier I get. This is why the US has more billion dollar startups. This isn't my first rodeo. 25% more is nothing, try 50%. Eventually, work will set me free.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#114

Post by pessimizer »

big_youth wrote: post #83
imron wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there any other developed nation where you pay $300 a month for health insurance and it doesn't cover you for the first $10,000 of expenses?

Have anything beyond hyperbole? The highest healthcare costs per capita: US $8,713 Switzerland $6,325 Norway $5,862 Netherlands $5,131 Sweden $4,904 Expensive yes, but not extreme compared to some of the other richest European countries. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/11/14/24-7...

Are you replying to the correct comment, or do Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden offer $300 per month insurance that doesn't cover the first $10,000?

edit: and anyway, your link vehemently disagrees with you on "extreme."

"While higher health care spending generally leads to better health outcomes, this is famously not the case in the United States. The country, which is one of the world's wealthiest, spends by far the most on health care. The United States spends around $8,700 per capita each year on health care, more than double the OECD average and well more than second place Switzerland.

"Despite the high spending, Americans are not anywhere near the world's healthiest. More than 35% of Americans are obese, one of the highest rate in the world, and exceptionally high compared with other countries spending the most on health. The United States is also the only top 10 country for health spending where the life expectancy does not exceed 80 years. Also, perhaps as a consequence of poor economic and social factors as well as the inefficient spending, adverse health outcomes such as infant mortality have increased in the United States. While in 2000, the incidence of infant mortality in the United States was lower than the OECD average, today it is higher."

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#115

Post by toomuchtodo »

charlesdm wrote: post #101
eeZah7Ux wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shocking how people accept that.

Shocking how average people accept the salaries they make and tax rates they pay.. smart people know better.

Indeed. Just think of the social safety net and universal healthcare we could have in the US if we taxed the highest marginal income rates appropriately.

EDIT: And how much more holiday/vacation time we'd have if it was mandated at the federal level.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#116

Post by sguav »

donretag wrote: post #74

I would love to live and work in Italy (or any other Mediterranean climate country), but there are simply no [tech] jobs. And what few software jobs there are are not interesting at all and pay very little. I value my time and I am willing to take a pay cut to live in Europe, but the jobs are not simply there. Why can there be no middle ground? For now, the plan is to work hard and retire early. Real estate price cha…

FPGA designer (and embedded sys FW) living in Italy here, must say that tech jobs are possibly some of the few jobs that you can be safe to find here! Now, if tech means webdev I have friends that struggle to pay the bills by freelancing with that, but going down the stack you find much more demand (I have personally found A LOT of demand for EE). Consider that I'm speaking from the northern part of Italy, no idea about the south tech-jobs situation.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#117

Post by deanCommie »

jypepin wrote: post #96
ajmurmann wrote: post #32

I find it astonishing how positive Bloomberg tries to spin this: People earn a wider range of incomes in the U.S., so “workers have an incentive to try harder to move up the job ladder because a promotion is worth more,” said Dora Gicheva -The income range in the US is so large that there are lots of people at the bottom end who have to work multiple jobs. How much does that have to do with the longer work hours, Blo…

It's a very light analysis from me, so might not be fully true, but I live in the US, now in Europe, and in Canada before that. You could also say Canada is kind of in the middle. Well, maybe correlation doesn't imply causation in that case but here is what I can see: - US > Canada > Europe in terms of opportunities, be it starting salary, end-of-career salaries, and everything in the middle such as promotions, perso…

Completely agreed having lived and worked in all 3. Canada is the sweet spot.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#118

Post by wmccullough »

webaholic wrote: post #3

How happy are they working that extra 25%? They are richer, sure. But I don't think being rich is an indicator of your overall state. Looking at [1], you can see that people in european countries come out on top of the happiness index. One could argue that working less is actually better for productivity and overall happiness. [1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-23/these-are-...

I'm about to turn 31, and I make a decent salary as a Senior Software Engineer. I'm deeply considering going to live on a few acres and go full subsistence to avoid this rat race. Software isn't fun anymore, our generation probably won't retire.

The worst part is that crippling medical bills and college loan repayment are destroying us financially.

I think I'd be happier surviving what I can do myself than to keep doing this bullshit much longer.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#119

Post by pc86 »

ajmurmann wrote: post #32

I find it astonishing how positive Bloomberg tries to spin this: People earn a wider range of incomes in the U.S., so “workers have an incentive to try harder to move up the job ladder because a promotion is worth more,” said Dora Gicheva -The income range in the US is so large that there are lots of people at the bottom end who have to work multiple jobs. How much does that have to do with the longer work hours, Blo…

> > The U.S.’s shift from traditional pensions to 401(k) plans makes it harder for Americans to know when it’s safe to retire.

Maybe I am misinterpreting but nobody is in a financial position to retire but continues working because of market volatility. Bonds are that volatile, and nobody with half a brain is heavily exposed to stocks if they have a high 6-/low 7-figure 401(k) and are planning on using that money for retirement income.

Re: Americans Work 25% More Than Europeans, Study Finds

#120

Post by BeetleB »

ajmurmann wrote: post #32

I find it astonishing how positive Bloomberg tries to spin this: People earn a wider range of incomes in the U.S., so “workers have an incentive to try harder to move up the job ladder because a promotion is worth more,” said Dora Gicheva -The income range in the US is so large that there are lots of people at the bottom end who have to work multiple jobs. How much does that have to do with the longer work hours, Blo…

>I find it astonishing how positive Bloomberg tries to spin this:

>People earn a wider range of incomes in the U.S., so “workers have an incentive to try harder to move up the job ladder because a promotion is worth more,” said Dora Gicheva

I do not view it as a positive spin. I could take the exact same statement and use it to point out the problem in the US.

Almost everyone I know in the US, regardless of their current income, is trying to get a promotion, simply because one is available.

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