Pi-Consulting

Americans firmly believe they are among the hardest-working people in the world, and they certainly have fewer official holidays. (See “Getting Paid In Time” on this website, posted Sept 15th 2005). But new research suggests that the Overworked American may be a myth. A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Chicago University’s Graduate School of Business suggests that US citizens have more free time than ever before, rising by 4-8 hours a week over four decades. American workers may put in more office hours than people in countries where average hours have dropped sharply following shorter-working-week legislation. But the study’s authors argue that hours spent at an employer’s premises is too narrow a definition of “work”, which they argue should be revised to include time spent shopping, cooking and keeping house. The study demonstrates that Americans spend significantly less time on these chores than forty years ago, thanks to the revolution in the household that brought in niftier appliances, internet shopping and 24-hour store opening. (Source: The Economist).