Recently, a survey by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, popularly known by its acronym OECD, put the US above Europe in average productivity. American productivity, in addition to technological innovation, education and training, capital investment, and other relevant factors, was also attributed to Americans working harder, as measured by the hours they put into work. Americans worked 1,754 hours a year compared to Germany’s 1,347 hours.
Some analysts speculated if it could be because there are more interesting tourist attractions in Europe compared to America, which explains why Europeans work less. A short air travel will land them on breathtaking beaches in Portugal and Spain or ski resorts in the Swiss Alps, for example.
Following his visit to America in 1904, famous German sociologist Max Weber, where he observed the hard-working Americans and their contributions to economic growth, developed his famous Protestant Ethic thesis. Weber was impressed by the work ethic of the Americans.
What does work ethic mean? It simply means you take your work seriously; you are highly motivated, as if you are guided by a religious zeal. It is not just a job; it is something suffused with ethical value. You work for the intrinsic value of the job.
While Weber linked work ethic to Protestant (mostly, Calvinistic) values, later sociologists linked it to Japanese religion or Confucianism to explain the rise of Japan and the Asian Tiger economies.
The OECD was not proving Weber's thesis right; it simply recorded that Americans work longer hours than their European counterparts. In Europe, the number of working hours varies; for example, Estonians work 1,859 hours a year. Of the 24 OECD members, Mexicans worked the longest, 2,000 hours a year.
How many hours you work is one of several components in labour productivity. The quality of work is more important. Labour productivity varies significantly across Europe, America, and Asia, influenced by factors such as technological advancement, educational levels, and economic policies.
In North America, particularly the United States, labour productivity is high, driven by substantial investments in technology, a flexible labour market, and a strong emphasis on innovation and skills development. Europe exhibits diverse productivity levels, with countries like Germany and Scandinavian nations leading due to their highly skilled workforces, advanced manufacturing sectors, and efficient economic structures, while Southern and Eastern European countries often lag due to structural inefficiencies and less investment in technology.
In Asia, productivity shows a wide range; countries like Japan and South Korea boast high productivity rates due to their technological prowess and strong work ethics, whereas emerging economies such as India and Indonesia are still catching up, hindered by less developed infrastructure and educational disparities.
China’s productivity has rapidly increased in recent decades, driven by industrialization and significant investment in technology and education, positioning it as a major player on the global stage.
Many years ago, I remember catching an early flight from Hanoi airport. As my taxi was trudging through a road near a market at dawn, I saw people setting up shops, and the market was bustling with activities in a state of semi-darkness.
The only comparable people with such work ethic in Bangladesh would be the peasants, agricultural workers, fishers, or casual day labourers whose days begin much earlier than their middle-class compatriots.
Generally, the middle class in Bangladesh is not work-oriented. Non-work is a status. I have often heard people say: “I don’t work, I get work done, I have staff who work for me.” Supervision is okay, but doing your own work is not. There seems to be a leisure ethic, rather than a work ethic, in Bangladesh.
Things may have changed now, but I have experiences from several years ago when the absence of the typist delayed important workflow because the bosses did not or would not type. Dictation was cool, typing was not.
A Singaporean boss was surprised when his visiting counterpart from Bangladesh, rather than pouring his own cup of tea from the hot water pot, signaled his accompanying assistant to make him tea.
Within a country, one would find some sectors of the economy more productive because there are people who have work ethic. This gives some hope. Work ethic can be cultivated and nurtured with a combination of incentives and disincentives.
Singaporean students, as well as the academics, are more work-oriented and more productive. In Bangladesh, successful academics show a great deal of work ethic, while the rest show little initiative.
Reading is hard work, so is writing. I once asked Professor Muntasir Mamun, a prolific writer and historian, when and how he works. He had a hideout for work. In the morning, he would leave home to go to his workplace where he would read and write for the entire day.
Recently, I asked a student who, despite adversities, had near-perfect scores in her SSC exam. She told me that she uses her mobile phone only for one hour a day and spends only 30 minutes watching her favourite TV show. Discipline is the mother of success. And in order to be disciplined, you must be work-oriented, and for that, you need work ethic.
Habibul Haque Khondker is a sociology professor at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi who previously taught at the National University of Singapore.
