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Are Americans Working Too Much?

Aired July 04, 2003 - 14:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It could be that American take the old fable about the ant and the grasshopper seriously. In short, ant works, grasshopper plays, ant survives the winter. But as CNN's Kitty Pilgrim found out, much of the rest of the world thinks Americans take that work ethic too far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Americans get a lot less vacation than the rest of much of the industrialized world. According to one study, in many European countries, the number of standard vacation days after a year's work runs close to 30. That is not so in Japan or in the United States, where it falls to 10. European, for the most part, have no sympathy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's for Americans to sort out, isn't it? I think they get far too less holidays, but that's for them to sort out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot of them choose to. They work too hard.

PILGRIM: Americans traveling in Europe seem in awe of the traditional month-long exodus when families head for the beach or the mountains.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of this is, you know, when the European time for vacation. It's a tradition, so what can I say?

PILGRIM: As bad as it seems now, the work week used to be longer. In America, hours have been declining for the last 40 years, as manufacturing gave way to the service economy. Now in the service economy, the official hours worked are shorter, but companies are cutting back on paid hours, and unpaid overtime is rampant.

ROBERT BRUSCA, NATIVE AMERICAN SECURITIES: I think the big problem is that there has been a big increase in hours worked that aren't paid and that aren't recorded, sort of a stealth increase in hours worked.

PILGRIM: And travel experts say these days Americans are opting for four-day weekends, instead of leaving the office for weeks at a time.

DANA DICKEY, "CONDE NAST TRAVELER": Around the world Americans are laughed at for our workaholism. It is just kind of part of our culture, and also I think it's is fear, especially in this economy. You don't know, you take two weeks, who knows, your desk might be given away when you get home.

PILGRIM (on camera): Economists say that's why American productivity is so high. Hours worked on the job are declining, but unpaid hours, well, that's another thing. But that productivity comes with a price, and the price is your vacation.

Kitty Pilgrim, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired July 4, 2003 - 14:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It could be that American take the old fable about the ant and the grasshopper seriously. In short, ant works, grasshopper plays, ant survives the winter. But as CNN's Kitty Pilgrim found out, much of the rest of the world thinks Americans take that work ethic too far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Americans get a lot less vacation than the rest of much of the industrialized world. According to one study, in many European countries, the number of standard vacation days after a year's work runs close to 30. That is not so in Japan or in the United States, where it falls to 10. European, for the most part, have no sympathy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's for Americans to sort out, isn't it? I think they get far too less holidays, but that's for them to sort out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot of them choose to. They work too hard.

PILGRIM: Americans traveling in Europe seem in awe of the traditional month-long exodus when families head for the beach or the mountains.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of this is, you know, when the European time for vacation. It's a tradition, so what can I say?

PILGRIM: As bad as it seems now, the work week used to be longer. In America, hours have been declining for the last 40 years, as manufacturing gave way to the service economy. Now in the service economy, the official hours worked are shorter, but companies are cutting back on paid hours, and unpaid overtime is rampant.

ROBERT BRUSCA, NATIVE AMERICAN SECURITIES: I think the big problem is that there has been a big increase in hours worked that aren't paid and that aren't recorded, sort of a stealth increase in hours worked.

PILGRIM: And travel experts say these days Americans are opting for four-day weekends, instead of leaving the office for weeks at a time.

DANA DICKEY, "CONDE NAST TRAVELER": Around the world Americans are laughed at for our workaholism. It is just kind of part of our culture, and also I think it's is fear, especially in this economy. You don't know, you take two weeks, who knows, your desk might be given away when you get home.

PILGRIM (on camera): Economists say that's why American productivity is so high. Hours worked on the job are declining, but unpaid hours, well, that's another thing. But that productivity comes with a price, and the price is your vacation.

Kitty Pilgrim, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com