We are getting richer, fast. We started out rich. Americans now work roughly 1,800 hours per year. That number has leaped from 1,500 hours in 1970. We now work the same number of hours as the Japanese do. I will give an explanation for both patterns of long work hours.
Europeans work considerably less than Americans. French and German workers put in 1550 hours per year. Their six-week long vacations contribute to this lower number of annual hours.
The numbers I give here were numbers reported in the Wall Street Journal July 8th on page 2. The data were published by the OECD in Paris. Americans were found to have 71% of working age people at work compared to 65% in Europe. In America, more people are working more hours -- creating a strong economic engine.
My explanation for the increase in hours of work is that America from 1970 to 2000 moved away from a class structure toward a meritocracy. In a meritocracy, people are more likely to do work they are good at, do work they are appreciated for and rewarded for. Under these conditions Americans are more willing to work longer hours, work harder and work better. Work in a meritocracy can be a reward in itself.
The number of hours European work keeps falling because Europe is still a class ridden society.
Japan is another story. Japanese seem to enjoy their corporate work because they still have plenty of long-term employment stability in their job, which does not come from unions. The Japanese work environment gives them clear goals and clear paths to success for accomplishment. Most importantly Japanese workers are rotated to a variety of jobs so workers are constantly learning new jobs and moving around in the organization. Workers are usually parts of a team where they get respect from peers for good work.
If my analysis is correct, America is on a path to steady and rapid economic growth. Our access to immigrants, that few other countries enjoy, adds to our unique economic potential.