Work/Life Balance
They work 41 hours a weekThe French lazy? Non!PARIS -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy's effort to extend France's famously short work week may be beside the point, if a study released this month is anything to go by. AP |
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The idea of the leisure-mad, uncompetitive French worker who heads for the door after 35 hours appears to be more fantasy than reality, the study shows.
59 HOURS FOR FARMERS
The 35-hour work week, to Sarkozy's chagrin, is still the law of the land. But French workers racked up an average of 41 hours per week last year, a study by national statistics agency Insee found.
Farmers put in the most hours, an average of nearly 59 per week, according to the survey. Shopkeepers and craftspeople came in second, at 55 hours; and white collar workers were third, with 44 hours.
The results put French workers ahead of those in some other European countries. In Germany, the average work week is 37.5 hours. In Britain, for those employed full time, it's 37 hours, according to government statistics agencies in each country.
In the U.S., the average work week for those in full-time employment was 41.7 hours in 2006, according to the latest available statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Sarkozy, a Conservative, contends the 35-hour law -- enacted 10 years ago by a Socialist government to reduce unemployment -- was a mistake, and has made reforming it a priority.
French newspapers trumpeted the study as evidence the French reputation as languorous bon vivants was unfounded.
"Lazy, the French?" read the first line in an article in Le Parisien daily. The paper said the study "gives something to think about to those ... who think the French people emphasize free time and chilling out."
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