Countries with long working days are more successful economically, but there are some negative social consequences. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people think that a country’s economic success is related to the amount of
work
done by its citizens each day, and
therefore
countries with longer working hours tend to have higher levels of productivity.
However
,
although
this
may seem like a positive phenomenon, there are actually some serious drawbacks.
This
essay will argue that longer hours can be
counter-productive
tending to hinder the achievement of a goal
counterproductive
.
To begin
with, the claim that longer working hours equates to economic success is hard to substantiate. For one thing, the most economically developed countries in the world don’t necessarily have
longer
Suggestion
long
working days than the less-developed nations. In fact, in recent decades Europe and North America have seen the average
work
day decrease in length along with a rise in output, while many poorer countries see their populations toil with little to show for their efforts.
Thus
, one could conclude that it is
quality
Suggestion
the quality
of
work
and not quantity
that is
important. The reason why some countries
have longer working
Suggestion
are longer working
days and yet lower levels of economic productivity is most likely related to the negative social impact of these long hours. To maintain a strong economy, a country needs a healthy and happy population who are engaged in activities that generate commerce.
However
, if people
are working
Suggestion
work
all day, they have less time to eat out at restaurants or go shopping. While it may seem trivial, these are important for the economy.
Moreover
, when people
work
too much, their health may suffer, along with their relationships. These too can cause a drain on the economy. In conclusion, it is not always true that longer working hours correlate with economic success, and the reasons for
this
are varied. In fact, as demonstrated above, having a population
work
too much may actually do the opposite of what is intended.
Submitted by hdw on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • correlation
  • GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
  • detrimental
  • stress levels
  • strain
  • work-life balance
  • emerging economies
  • unsustainable growth
  • social unrest
  • productivity tools
  • government policies
  • social well-being
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