>>/ OECD statistics are that annual hours worked per American employee have
/>/> fallen from 2,033 hrs in 1960 to 1,817 hrs in 2003.
/>/> http://www.ggdc.net/dseries/Data/hours/OECDH05I.xls (Heartfield)
/
John Thornton wrote,
>Mining, manufacturing, and construction all work more hours per week
>today than in 1964. Retal and FIRE work much less and pull the average
>down. At least according to the Monthly Labor review from July 31 2000.
>Most of the reduction in retail is to avoid offering benefits too. Which
>part of this stat are we supposed to cheer?
The composition of the labour force also changed dramatically, with higher full time participation of women who tend to work in sectors with shorter average hours. There are so many oranges being compared to apples in those annual hours stats that you really have to break the numbers down into smaller categories to get even a sense of what has happened in annual hours.For example, total annual hours for two-parent households with children have increased substantially. See Juliet Shor, The Overworked American.
The Sandwichman