France Dismantles Its 35-Hour Workweek:
PARIS – Sophie Guilbaud not only holds a full-time job, she also helps run her son’s nursery and treats herself to regular weekdays of shopping, movies and art shows. The secret to her balancing act is a remarkable piece of social engineering — France’s 35-hour workweek. Introduced under the Socialists but headed for effective abolition by lawmakers Tuesday, “les 35 heures” have been a boon for some but, critics argue, a big drain on the economy.
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But with unemployment at 10 percent, politicians of all stripes acknowledge that the country’s unique 35-hour law has failed in its original ambition: to force employers to hire massively. What’s more, there are strong signs that it hurt living standards as employers froze salaries to make up for lost labor.
The proposed reform actually does not do much aside from raise the legalized limit to 39-hours. I suppose it would be crazy and uncivil to suggest that hours should be made by the company, not from the State. If an employee does not want to work for 39, 40 or 120 hours, then they probably are not the best fit for that company and therefore should not work for them (let alone force that company to employ them). This is similar to price floors like the minimum wage which effectively increases unemployment of those unable to productively produce at $5.15/hour (or 35 hours in this case).
See also, Striking For More Hours. More on the economics of work weeks: 1 2 3 4
{ 1 comment }
France Business Model:
1) only work 35 hours a week
2) ????
3) profit!
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