[trettegeani]

They're a bunch of lazy bums the whole lot!

[gariharlj]

...recently bailed-out Ireland, for example, does not appear to be in southern Europe. Excluding that inconvenient fact, there are other problems with the hard-working-North-versus-lazy-South narrative.

For example, workers in which EU countries work the longest weeks? That would be the Greeks, who work on average 42 hours a week. Spain and Portugal aren’t far behind with a work week of around 39 hours. And where is the shortest work week in the EU? That would be in the Netherlands, under 31 hours a week.

Germans on average work just under 36 hours a week, significantly less than the hard-working Greeks they are now bailing out.

...part-time work is much more prevalent in the northern countries, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany. In Greece and the other southern countries, workers either have a full-time job or they are unemployed (increasingly the latter in the Age of Austerity).

Women are also much more likely to work in the northern countries, particularly the Scandinavian nations, and women tend to work fewer hours than men.

Second, a higher percentage of Greek workers tend to work in agriculture, where working hours are usually longer. The same is true for the other southern euro-zone countries that have run into trouble.

What these numbers show is that the southern euro zone’s problems aren’t a result of workers there not working hard enough. The problem instead is lower productivity in the southern rim: In 2009, Greek workers generated just €18.50 per hour worked; for Spain and Portugal, the number is €24.40 and €13.80, respectively.

Dutch workers generated €39.50 and German workers €38.70. Yes, the gap is huge.
...
Part of the reason for the divide is that northern workers benefit from better technology and better infrastructure. A Greek worker trained as well as a German worker is still going to be less productive than a German worker because of superior German technology and infrastructure. But how do you narrow the gap in infrastructure and technology?
...But the lesson for the other euro-zone countries is clear. Their workers should either move to where the technology is (German, the Netherlands… Finland!). After all, that’s the story of the United States since the middle of the 19th century, when millions of workers from agrarian southern Italy, Ireland and Eastern Europe arrived to work in the booming U.S. industrial machine. Or these governments should get multinational firms to bring their technology to the southern euro zone. Statistics Put The Lie To The Stereotypical North-South Euro-Zone Divide - Real Time Brussels - WSJ

[orillaVar]

From personal experience I can say, although Greeks may have the longest work week, it fails to mention that a lot of Greeks also take a 2-4 hour break during their work day. I spent a significant time there and learning about the culture, work conditions, health care, etc because I nearly moved there. A very common thread there when it comes to working is not to allow your work to ever become the focus of your day or it will take away from your enjoyment of life... which is a nice thought until you are actually trying to get **** done!

Also, most Greeks over the age of 40 which I have met do not consider themselves European - they are Greek. It was rare to find someone who really acknowledged and embraced their role as part of the EU.

[gariharlj]

From personal experience I can say, although Greeks may have the longest work week, it fails to mention that a lot of Greeks also take a 2-4 hour break during their work day. I spent a significant time there and learning about the culture, work conditions, health care, etc because I nearly moved there. A very common thread there when it comes to working is not to allow your work to ever become the focus of your day or it will take away from your enjoyment of life... which is a nice thought until you are actually trying to get **** done!

Also, most Greeks over the age of 40 which I have met do not consider themselves European - they are Greek. It was rare to find someone who really acknowledged and embraced their role as part of the EU.

I'm not sure that last part is uncommon throughout the EU which is little more than a confederation, with each country fiercely proud of its heritage. the only people I met there that had positive things to say about the EU were the young ones who appreciated the mobility it provided them. I used to work with international divisions and God help you if you needed to get something done in the summer. after a few decades, my company finally realized that the budget had to be done before august. a mid september deadline was always missed because the european affiliates basically did nothing during august. in my short time in Greece, a common thread seemed to be that while taxes and fees to open a business might be low, there was often a significant unseen tax...otherwise known as a bribe, that made life difficult. I'd be surprised if a larger than usual chunk of the economy isn't off the books to avoid dealing with the public sector there. in egypt, most of the economy was off the books.

[Nekas48]

From personal experience I can say, although Greeks may have the longest work week, it fails to mention that a lot of Greeks also take a 2-4 hour break during their work day. I spent a significant time there and learning about the culture, work conditions, health care, etc because I nearly moved there. A very common thread there when it comes to working is not to allow your work to ever become the focus of your day or it will take away from your enjoyment of life... which is a nice thought until you are actually trying to get **** done!

Also, most Greeks over the age of 40 which I have met do not consider themselves European - they are Greek. It was rare to find someone who really acknowledged and embraced their role as part of the EU.

My limited experience with spain suggests that spaniards arent as lazy as their northern euro cousins often suggest.

That being said, similar to ACG, the spaniards place a high premium on quality of life and so work tends to be something that alot of people do simply to provide money and utility.....not life passion.

[orillaVar]

I'm not sure that last part is uncommon throughout the EU which is little more than a confederation, with each country fiercely proud of its heritage. the only people I met there that had positive things to say about the EU were the young ones who appreciated the mobility it provided them. I used to work with international divisions and God help you if you needed to get something done in the summer. after a few decades, my company finally realized that the budget had to be done before august. a mid september deadline was always missed because the european affiliates basically did nothing during august. in my short time in Greece, a common thread seemed to be that while taxes and fees to open a business might be low, there was often a significant unseen tax...otherwise known as a bribe, that made life difficult. I'd be surprised if a larger than usual chunk of the economy isn't off the books to avoid dealing with the public sector there. in egypt, most of the economy was off the books.

Absolutely a good portion of the Greek economy is off the books. Even when I was just looking into the process of moving there, people were very open about what the actual legal fees would be and how much more over those legal fees I had to be prepared to pay in order for the paper work to actually be done... and even then, don't expect it to move very quickly (in my experience the Greeks don't know what the word quick or hurry means).

[orillaVar]

My limited experience with spain suggests that spaniards arent as lazy as their northern euro cousins often suggest.

That being said, similar to ACG, the spaniards place a high premium on quality of life and so work tends to be something that alot of people do simply to provide money and utility.....not life passion.

While in Greece it fell on me to deal with the workman who was coming to install the washer/dryer in the apartment that would be where I thought I would be living (my boyfriend's apartment - actually his mommy's, but that is another story), so this was something I wanted to be sure got done. It took a full week to have them hook it up - and the washer/dryer was already in the apartment. They would come, tell me what I needed and I was expected to go get the parts and then they would be back the next day... only to need something else. The only way I was able to get the job completely was to just about buy out the plumbing store (with a handshake promise that I could return anything I didn't use) and to make them a full lunch to keep them from leaving at lunch never to be seen till the next day. And we aren't talking sandwiches - I had to have the food cooking before they came so the smells would entice them to stay and finish. Every night when I would complain when out with locals at the tavernas and ask my boyfriend to help me find a better workmen, they would laugh and just ask why I was complaining - its just the way it is.