Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Koreans Work Longest Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Real Reality



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:57 am    Post subject: Koreans Work Longest Hours Reply with quote

Koreans Work Longest Hours: ILO
Quote:
Korean employees work for the longest hours, according to a report, Monday, but their productivity per person is only about 68 percent of that of Americans, which is the world's highest.

By Kim Rahn, Korea Times (September 3, 2007)
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/09/117_9485.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jajdude



Joined: 18 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Reminds me of people who do well in school without studying a great deal.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure how they do their stats, though. America's productivity had at one point slipped to number 4 or 5 in the world when there was overemployment in the corporate sector. After some personnel cutbacks and overseas outsourcing, productivity increased.

The fact is that Korean companies employ too many people. Depending on how productivity is measured, this can have a negative impact on the stat.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Overemployment and a low salary. The basic determination on supply and demand. With such a low salary is it any wonder why Koreans are less productive than their counterparts.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
shifdog



Joined: 20 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

U.S. Workers Most Productive

American workers stay longer in the office, at the factory or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year.

They also get more done per hour than everyone but the Norwegians, according to a U.N. report released Monday, which said the United States "leads the world in labor productivity."

The U.S. employee put in an average 1,804 hours of work in 2006, the report said. That compared with 1,407.1 hours for the Norwegian worker and 1,564.4 for the French.

It pales, however, in comparison with the annual hours worked per person in Asia, where seven economies � South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Thailand � surpassed 2,200 average hours per worker. But those countries had lower productivity rates.


http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1658490,00.html

Asians pretend to be busy at work. I've experienced this firsthand in Korea and Japan.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
regicide



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

shifdog wrote:
Quote:

U.S. Workers Most Productive

American workers stay longer in the office, at the factory or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year.

They also get more done per hour than everyone but the Norwegians, according to a U.N. report released Monday, which said the United States "leads the world in labor productivity."

The U.S. employee put in an average 1,804 hours of work in 2006, the report said. That compared with 1,407.1 hours for the Norwegian worker and 1,564.4 for the French.

It pales, however, in comparison with the annual hours worked per person in Asia, where seven economies � South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Thailand � surpassed 2,200 average hours per worker. But those countries had lower productivity rates.


http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1658490,00.html

Asians pretend to be busy at work. I've experienced this firsthand in Korea and Japan.


I read this article too. What is notable is the output per worker:

labor productivity."

The average U.S. worker produces $63,885 of wealth per year, more than their counterparts in all other countries, the International Labor Organization said in its report. Ireland comes in second at $55,986, followed by Luxembourg at $55,641, Belgium at $55,235 and France at $54,609.


Last edited by regicide on Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
oldfatfarang



Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When anaylsing Asian working statistics it pays to remember that drinking green tea, eating rice cakes, surfing the internet, and chatting on-line is not working - it's hanging around until the superior deems it OK for the underlings to leave.

That said, when Asians HAVE to work - they work very quickly - far quicker than any Western workers I've seen (or employed).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
regicide



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oldfatfarang wrote:
When anaylsing Asian working statistics it pays to remember that drinking green tea, eating rice cakes, surfing the internet, and chatting on-line is not working - it's hanging around until the superior deems it OK for the underlings to leave.

That said, when Asians HAVE to work - they work very quickly - far quicker than any Western workers I've seen (or employed).


"That said, when Asians HAVE to work - they work very quickly - far quicker than any Western workers I've seen (or employed"

That has been my experience too. And of course, with any complaints.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ED209



Joined: 17 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who sleeps the longest at work?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Atavistic



Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oldfatfarang wrote:
When anaylsing Asian working statistics it pays to remember that drinking green tea, eating rice cakes, surfing the internet, and chatting on-line is not working - it's hanging around until the superior deems it OK for the underlings to leave.


My boyfriend and I were just talking about this over dinner last night, before I saw this thread. The underlings sitting there with nothing to do thing is another reason he hates Confucianism.

I think Korea is the perfect example of the Peter Principle at work, combined with a bit of "Sam Sung needs to head Hyundai department store's electronic underwear division because he married Mr Kim's daughter, and Mr Kim went to school with Hyun Dai's father's eldest cousin thrice removed and..."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
marlow



Joined: 06 Feb 2005

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

regicide wrote:
"That said, when Asians HAVE to work - they work very quickly - far quicker than any Western workers I've seen (or employed"

That has been my experience too. And of course, with any complaints.


Often the "HAVE to work" comes after the boss yells at them to get something done. I often feel Koreans can't work until the boss puts his/her foot down - then they work. Basically the ideal Korean worker is supposed to ignore their life and free time and be on-call for their boss 14 hours per day six (preferably seven) days per week.

Not for me. Tell me what to do. I'll do it as quickly and excellently as possible, and then I'll enjoy my life. Work hard, play hard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
contrarian



Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is a difference between working hard and working smart. Most government workers do neither.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jeffkim1972



Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Location: Mokpo

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Korea lacks value-added products. Everything they make is almost a commodity. Ships, Cars, memory chips, etc.

That is why the US is so "productive". They are the leaders, along with Europe in making the value-added stuff.

Also, Korea has yet to really enter into the service business. Now that is where the money is.

The Koreans work quickly when it comes to tasks that can be done quickly. But they cannot work quickly on things that require a bit more skill and experience.

Finding a guy that knows how to make a chair out of solid timber is nearly impossible in Korea. a Good chair, considered a finely crafted chair that can sell as a finely crafted chair. These things simply don't exist in Korea.

Perfect example. Have you really been to a high class Korean restaurant where the chef takes his or her time and years of experience and imagination to prepare the presentation of your meal? Probably not, because it doesn't exist in Korea. Everything is just sort of thrown in together and boiled or fried, etc. And you're still eating the meat off the bone.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
oldfatfarang



Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

contrarian wrote:
There is a difference between working hard and working smart. Most government workers do neither.


Interesting and lucid observation. I recently had the experience of observing a group of K government office workers in action. They didn't appear too bright. I thought about this for a while and concluded that K govt workers are pure Confucian - they only got their job because they had high test scores (or nepotism) - not because they were intelligent or flexible thinkers. Years of kow-towing to superiors and following mindless rules certainly hadn't increased their intelligence - just got them promoted.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jeffkim1972



Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Location: Mokpo

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Atavistic"]
oldfatfarang wrote:
When anaylsing Asian working statistics it pays to remember that drinking green tea, eating rice cakes, surfing the internet, and chatting on-line is not working - it's hanging around until the superior deems it OK for the underlings to leave.


Atavistic wrote:

My boyfriend and I were just talking about this over dinner last night, before I saw this thread.


Thanks, that information was highly relevant to the discussion.

Atavistic wrote:

The underlings sitting there with nothing to do thing is another reason he hates Confucianism.


Nothing to do with Confucianism. Maybe there is some confusion as to what Confucianism is as well as the working environment in Korea.

Atavistic wrote:

I think Korea is the perfect example of the Peter Principle at work, combined with a bit of "Sam Sung needs to head Hyundai department store's electronic underwear division because he married Mr Kim's daughter, and Mr Kim went to school with Hyun Dai's father's eldest cousin thrice removed and..."


Actually, it is the opposite. Koreans are promoted based on their age, not competence. At any level, it is difficult for Koreans to learn what they are not supposed to learn. This country lacks self-learners in other words. Notice the heavy reliance on tutors and hagwons, even for the smartest student. In America, the smartest students do the tutoring and would be completely against his or her philosophy to have a tutor. Learning on one's own is a highly cherished skill.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International