Dear MEL Topic Readers,
South Korea cuts its work limit from 68 hours a week to 52
How much is hardworking and how long is overworking? South Korean workers seem to work too long. On average, they worked over 2,000 hours in 2017, the third-longest after Mexico and Costa Rica among OECD countries. That’s nearly 50% longer than its economic rival, Germany. Why do they work so long? Is that a way to show their loyalty to their employers or to compete with their co-workers? Are they all so ambitious to be successful in their careers or is that because of their collective culture?
Working long hours could cause physical, mental and social problems. Productivity and efficiency decrease, the stress level goes up and mistakes and errors increase, and fertility rate declines. In fact, an average Korean woman has only 1.2 children, the society is rapidly aging.
So, the lawmakers finally made a drastic move by limiting the maximum work hours per week from 68 to 52, a staggering 24% reduction!
Will this abandon a place for a retreat like “prison for people seeking peace and quiet”?
Enjoy reading and think what makes people work harder and longer.
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