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GI Joe
09-03-2007, 10:13 PM
Encouraging news for Americans on this Labor Day: You can take it easy. You've earned the rest. A survey concludes you're the most productive workers on the planet. Stephen Beard reports.


TEXT OF STORY

TESS VIGELAND: Some encouraging news for Americans on this Labor Day: You can take it easy. You've earned the rest. A survey out today from the International Labor Organization in Geneva concludes that Americans are the most productive workers on the planet. From the European Desk in London Stephen Beard has more.

Stephen Beard: The average American worker, says the ILO, produces more than $63,000 worth of output a year. That's more than three times the global average. And it's more than 10 percent ahead of the most-productive countries in Europe. The key, according to labor market economist Ian Brinkley, lies in America's love affair with new technology.

IAN BRINKLEY: The Americans have been much better at getting productivity out of the new technologies that have come on-stream over the past decade. That's partly because America has a lot more in terms of high-tech manufacturing industry. But also they've been a lot better at applying it in more traditional sectors.

Among the other reasons for America's productivity lead over Europe, says the ILO, is the generally more competitive climate in the U.S. And the fact that Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacations. But people in Asian countries like China and South Korea spend even more time at work. And though their productivity is still relatively low, it's accelerating faster than anywhere else.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/09/03/PM200709031.html



Other stories

US Productivity Tops League Table
US employees came out on top of a survey of workforce productivity per person by nation, according to a report released today by the International Labour Organisation.
http://www.investmentmarkets.co.uk/20070903-757.html



U.S. Tops The List Of Most Productive Countries
Geneva, Switzerland (AHN) - According to a survey by the International Labor Organization reveals that workers in the U.S. are the most productive compared to those in other countries.

The report outlined that productivity levels have increased over the last decade across the world with industrialized countries leading the way. Some regions have caught up to strong levels, but the ILO report attributed world poverty to a waste of worker productivity potential.

The report by the ILO with the title, "Key Indicators of the Labor Market (KILM), fifth Edition," highlighted that labor productivity per person in 2006 was still the highest in the U.S., despite a doubling of productivity levels in East Asia in the last decade.

Additionally, the findings indicate that the gap in productivity between the U.S. and other developed nations continued to leave a wide margin.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008395594

Daewoo
09-03-2007, 11:22 PM
Unfortunatly over 80% of our productivity gains in the last 15 years has been the result of marking up cheap foreign goods. We have the lowest real industrial output per capita of any industrialized nation (that would be value added goods....you know...actual wealth).

Eddie
09-04-2007, 07:52 AM
Is this news in any way shape or form? In that case, I think I should inform you that China is still the most populous nation on this planet, the British queen is still regent in Britain and Australia still have a fabolous wildlife ;)

Electro808
09-04-2007, 08:58 AM
"And the fact that Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacations"

I don't know if that's a good thing. Especially for people with kids.

GI Joe
09-04-2007, 03:00 PM
"And the fact that Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacations"

I don't know if that's a good thing. Especially for people with kids.

The main reasons are we are quicker to use new technologies and the highly competitive climate in the US.

We do work more than Europe but Asia works much more than us.

burntgorilla
09-04-2007, 03:08 PM
The main reasons are we are quicker to use new technologies and the highly competitive climate in the US.

We do work more than Europe but Asia works much more than us.

8 of the 15 best countries in which to do business are in Europe:

http://www.economist.com/markets/rankings/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8908422

Although there is almost nothing between most of the countries. I wouldn't have thought Denmark was the best in world.

lord tammerlain
09-04-2007, 03:09 PM
The main reasons are we are quicker to use new technologies and the highly competitive climate in the US.

We do work more than Europe but Asia works much more than us.

Much of the productivity gains in the US has been due to the importation of cheaper goods from other countries. The higher level of markup allowed on those goods have artificially inflated the actual productivity of US workers compared to European countries where imports have previously not been as common

lord tammerlain
09-04-2007, 03:11 PM
As a side note

A few European countries are the tops for productivity per hour worked.

The French are more productive per hour worked then Americans, it is just they work fewer hours so total productivity is less

GI Joe
09-04-2007, 03:49 PM
As a side note

A few European countries are the tops for productivity per hour worked.

The French are more productive per hour worked then Americans, it is just they work fewer hours so total productivity is less

Actually I think it has changed to Norway


When productivity was measured by the hour rather than by the total number of hours worked, however, Norway, an oil nation, was the most productive, followed by the United States and France, the organization said in a report released over the weekend and published every two years. It mostly used 2006 data.

“The difference in rankings can be explained by the fact that annual working hours per person employed are considerably higher in the United States than in the majority of European economies,” the report said.

Ireland was in second place when productivity was measured in total hours worked, moving up from fourth position in 2005. The country was fifth in terms of productivity per hour, up from sixth two years earlier.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/business/worldbusiness/04output.html?ref=business

GI Joe
09-04-2007, 03:52 PM
Much of the productivity gains in the US has been due to the importation of cheaper goods from other countries. The higher level of markup allowed on those goods have artificially inflated the actual productivity of US workers compared to European countries where imports have previously not been as common

The report says its due to quicker application of new technologies

Daewoo
09-05-2007, 12:36 AM
The report says its due to quicker application of new technologies

Absolutly. A guy with a good computer can mark up cheap chinese junk a LOT faster than a guy with an abacus or a crappy computer. Think about it.

The second biggest boost in productivity we have gotten is in the financial services sector. You want to talk about technology leading to gains, that is the place to look! How could you possibly manage to leverage a $250,000 subprime mortgage into $400 million in derivatives without some pretty serious technology???