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!@#$%! · 07.07.2008, 01:27 PM

im not saying sarkoma is not an asshole, and he may be doing this ass-backwards, but do you agree that letting go of an old economic model is necessary for your future survival, or no?

im not sure i understand everything you wrote, but seems to me that your perspective is that "someone" needs to look out for the unions-- aren't unions supposed to take care of themselves?

anyway, i did a little google on your productivity point and it looks like yeah, french productivity is not as bad as i thought.

here's a quote from forbes:

According to a 2003 survey of 25 industrialized countries conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the French do work less than most others. They clocked an average 1,431 hours per year. Even allowing six weeks vacation, this works out to just 31 hours per week, less than even "les heures" would dictate. But Norwegian and Dutch employees worked even less. German workers, who traditionally have been viewed as paragons of industrial effort, put in 1,446 hours, barely more than the French. British (1,673 hours), Americans (1,792 hours) and Koreans (2,390 hours) worked substantially more.

Ranked by "competitiveness," France fares poorly, as ranked by a World Economic Forum survey. France places 27th, behind Chile, Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg. But the even lazier Norwegians and Dutch rank 6th and 12th respectively. Korea places two rungs below France.

Still, French workers remain among the most productive in the world, ahead of Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat, the AP reports.

In terms of gross national income per capita (GNI) as measured by the World Bank, France ranks 23rd with a GNI of $24,770. The U.S. is well-ahead in 5th place at $37,610. But again, Norway, which works less, makes more, more even than the U.S. Germany is about $500 ahead of France.

Another interesting fact is that between 1995 and 2003, France actually increased its work hours, albeit slightly, despite the 35-hour law, according to the OECD. In the last two years of that span, however, its work hours declined. In recent years, France's GDP growth rate has slowed. The same is true of Germany. But growth in Korea and the U.S., which each work more hours, has increased.

As a nation, France boasts 33 entries in the Forbes 2000 list of the world's largest companies, including Total (nyse: TOT - news - people ), BNP (otc: BNPQY - news - people ), AXA Group (nyse: AXA - news - people ), Societe Generale Group (otc: SCGLY - news - people ), and Renault in the top 100.

All told, the French worker is a fairly productive sort, even with all that cheese. But there is some evidence of slippage, and adding a few hours, or at least letting those so inclined work a bit more, is likely to help.

--
the whole article (i just posted the last part) is here:
http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/22/cx_...ews_print.html

--

so what's the cause of france's economic problems, you'd say?

07.07.2008, 01:27 PM	#19
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,731	im not saying sarkoma is not an asshole, and he may be doing this ass-backwards, but do you agree that letting go of an old economic model is necessary for your future survival, or no? im not sure i understand everything you wrote, but seems to me that your perspective is that "someone" needs to look out for the unions-- aren't unions supposed to take care of themselves? anyway, i did a little google on your productivity point and it looks like yeah, french productivity is not as bad as i thought. here's a quote from forbes: According to a 2003 survey of 25 industrialized countries conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the French do work less than most others. They clocked an average 1,431 hours per year. Even allowing six weeks vacation, this works out to just 31 hours per week, less than even "les heures" would dictate. But Norwegian and Dutch employees worked even less. German workers, who traditionally have been viewed as paragons of industrial effort, put in 1,446 hours, barely more than the French. British (1,673 hours), Americans (1,792 hours) and Koreans (2,390 hours) worked substantially more. Ranked by "competitiveness," France fares poorly, as ranked by a World Economic Forum survey. France places 27th, behind Chile, Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg. But the even lazier Norwegians and Dutch rank 6th and 12th respectively. Korea places two rungs below France. Still, French workers remain among the most productive in the world, ahead of Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat, the AP reports. In terms of gross national income per capita (GNI) as measured by the World Bank, France ranks 23rd with a GNI of $24,770. The U.S. is well-ahead in 5th place at $37,610. But again, Norway, which works less, makes more, more even than the U.S. Germany is about $500 ahead of France. Another interesting fact is that between 1995 and 2003, France actually increased its work hours, albeit slightly, despite the 35-hour law, according to the OECD. In the last two years of that span, however, its work hours declined. In recent years, France's GDP growth rate has slowed. The same is true of Germany. But growth in Korea and the U.S., which each work more hours, has increased. As a nation, France boasts 33 entries in the Forbes 2000 list of the world's largest companies, including Total (nyse: TOT - news - people ), BNP (otc: BNPQY - news - people ), AXA Group (nyse: AXA - news - people ), Societe Generale Group (otc: SCGLY - news - people ), and Renault in the top 100. All told, the French worker is a fairly productive sort, even with all that cheese. But there is some evidence of slippage, and adding a few hours, or at least letting those so inclined work a bit more, is likely to help. -- the whole article (i just posted the last part) is here: http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/22/cx_...ews_print.html -- so what's the cause of france's economic problems, you'd say?
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