Yikes!!!!! Spain plans to cut workweek to improve work-life balance

That's always the typical lame excuse to explain away why things are so screwed up here in the US.
if the USA never happened, hard to know whether the world overall would be better or worse. wonder what AI (Artificial Intelligence) says? or would that be a little too open ended for it?
 
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respectfully; any response would get quite political and venture down a forbidden road. i acknowledge the priorities of the US are not the same as other wealthy countries for many reasons. some noble and others debatable. it is a melting pot.

i'm not a world traveler, although the company i managed for decades had a rainbow of employees from everywhere. Seattle, where i live, is very very diverse. most in Seattle were not born here. but i would not want to be anywhere else and am proud to be from the US.
Fair enough. There are enough places on the internet for that type of discourse already.
 
Working hours are only one side of the equation, productivity matters more.
I don't see what's wrong with shortening working hours as long as productivity remains or getting better (which usually it does).

Spain unemployment rate is 11%-12%, so shortening working hours might lead to better rates in unemployment, as fewer hours per employee can create space to hire additional workers. also, this allows companies to distribute work among more employees, creating additional job opportunities.

The idea here in France was just that, but it did not lead to more employment, one reason being that you work less for the same salary...paid for partly by the employer, with some contribution by the state.

It's effect on productivity is also unclear.

France already had one of the lowest volume of work per capita in OECD countries. Its generous and complex social benefit policies have some negative effects.

You can be permanently unemployed and receive up to 90% of minimum wage through a variety of social benefits.

But many of these benefits also apply if you earn a low salary, so your net income may actually decrease if you get a raise, because you may lose some benefits.

The labor market is very rigid. It is hard to fire employees.

Labor/management relations are very conflictual, and regulated. The shorter workweek was implemented across the board for all companies regardless of their size and industry, without much flexibility.
 
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if the USA never happened, hard to know whether the world overall would be better or worse. wonder what AI (Artificial Intelligence) says?
The Chinese or the American version of AI ? ;)
 
if the USA never happened, hard to know whether the world overall would be better or worse. wonder what AI (Artificial Intelligence) says? or would that be a little too open ended for it?

There is no question that, despite all its flaws and mistakes, the USA has undeniably been a force for the better in the world, especially since having been so influential in creating and maintaining the post-WWII world order. Also, the technological and scientific advances of the modern world would not have taken place to such an extent were it not for the USA.

Unfortunately Americans have now, unwittingly or not, decided that the post-WWII world order should come to an end. They will be in for a rude awakening.
 
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But at the moment Spain has a completely different problem: horrendous rent prices for apartments, which is why people are already taking to the streets and demonstrating. Something similar is happening in Germany right now and it won't be long now.
And the cause of said rent increases - drum roll please - Airbnb. A now successful real estate disrupter t\hat has conned most people into believing they make more money by renting through Airbnb.
 
A note of interest related to the topic in question:

View attachment 145047
I am surprised the US is not on that list, they were early adopters of anti smoking regulations. Smoking is the main reason Denmark is placed so poorly on that list. :rolleyes:
 
And the cause of said rent increases - drum roll please - Airbnb. A now successful real estate disrupter t\hat has conned most people into believing they make more money by renting through Airbnb.
That may well be the case, as you say, but if you have to spend more than 60% of your monthly income on rent, then it will be difficult. The average rent in Spain, depending on the region, is between €14-17 per square meter, with an average income of €1600-2100 per month.in Germany it is soon not much different.
 
I am surprised the US is not on that list, they were early adopters of anti smoking regulations. Smoking is the main reason Denmark is placed so poorly on that list. :rolleyes:
Diet and obesity are major issues in the US, especially related to income differences. Health care costs also related to this.
 
Yeah, Americans are not very smart about their lives

And let's not forget our somewhat unique culture in the civilized world that creates subliminal fear in parents and their children when the kids attend school.
 
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There must have been a mistake in "quoting". The second "quote" is not mine. Not that I disagree with the statement.
 
There must have been a mistake in "quoting". The second "quote" is not mine. Not that I disagree with the statement.

I would have to agree with both quotes - how anyone could take offence to that amazes me...
 
The idea here in France was just that, but it did not lead to more employment, one reason being that you work less for the same salary...paid for partly by the employer, with some contribution by the state.

It's effect on productivity is also unclear.

France already had one of the lowest volume of work per capita in OECD countries. Its generous and complex social benefit policies have some negative effects.

You can be permanently unemployed and receive up to 90% of minimum wage through a variety of social benefits.

But many of these benefits also apply if you earn a low salary, so your net income may actually decrease if you get a raise, because you may lose some benefits.

The labor market is very rigid. It is hard to fire employees.

Labor/management relations are very conflictual, and regulated. The shorter workweek was implemented across the board for all companies regardless of their size and industry, without much flexibility.
France working laws are complicated and from what you write, they don't encourage certain classes to go to work.
It will be interesting to see if France will hold with those social benefits in the long run, or change them as the burden will beacome have on the local economic.
 
There is no question that, despite all its flaws and mistakes, the USA has undeniably been a force for the better in the world, especially since having been so influential in creating and maintaining the post-WWII world order. Also, the technological and scientific advances of the modern world would not have taken place to such an extent were it not for the USA.
Well, you can have a different opinion. Without the poaching of German engineers and patents after WW II, things would have looked very different from a technological point of view. I don't want to play the evil Germans here, but after the war we were suddenly in demand again.
 
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Some people claim (because of their special interests, pretend) it's not the guns, it's mental health issues.

No, it's that America has too many guns. To pretend otherwise is stupid. Other countries have mental health issues too, and people there play violent video games just as much as well, but much fewer mass shootings/school shootings. Why? Fewer guns.

Duh.
Some other countries have almost as much guns as US per capita, like Switzerland or Finland, but very few armed 'incidents' in comparation.
In my country (Croatia) I would there to say that there is no place where you might feel unsafe, day or night, regardless of your age or gender. Children go alone in the school, or play outside, including all major urban areas. There were very few armed or violent crimes, despite that lots of people own guns (not only pistols or rifles, but machine guns, explosives, etc), and very much of that arsenal is of course illegal. Homelessness almost does not exist and majority of people own their homes, despite relatively low Gdp
 
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Some people claim (because of their special interests, pretend) it's not the guns, it's mental health issues.

No, it's that America has too many guns. To pretend otherwise is stupid.
Thank you for stating an incontrovertible fact.
 
Some other countries have almost as much guns as US per capita, like Switzerland or Finland, but very few armed 'incidents' in comparation.
Simple. Amongst other stark cultural differences, licensing requirements.
 

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