Are Latin Americans the hardest workers in the world?

Are Latin Americans the hardest workers in the world???

Perhaps it would be premature to call Mexicans the hardest workers in the world. But they can at least claim to be the hardest workers in the OECD.

The?OECD - OCDE?is a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that brings together 38 of the world’s most developed countries, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, and most of Europe. Founded in 1961, the organization promotes good development and trade practices among member countries.

OECD membership is seen as quite the achievement for many countries—and naturally, Latin America is already partially represented. Mexico was the first regional country to join, in 1994, and it has since been joined by Chile in 2010, Colombia in 2020, and Costa Rica in 2021.

Something other than language or culture brings together these four countries. With over 1900 annual hours worked, the Latin American members of the OECD feature the hardest-working laborers in the entire organization.

Of course, the incredible work ethic of Mexicans and Colombians is only half the story. In truth, the organization’s Latin American countries should strive to trade in hours worked for increased labor productivity, which is a big factor behind the success of OECD peers such as Japan and Germany—the world’s 3rd and 4th largest economies, respectively.

Labor productivity is a byproduct of economic development, coming from automation and a transition towards higher value-added industries.

Because as it stands, the average Mexican works roughly 700 hours more than the average German—so, 58% more hours for much lower wages. Those are hours that are spent earning income, sure, but it’s time spent away from home, from family, from hobbies or leisure activities or civic action.

On top of the 4 current members, the OECD is currently negotiating the accession of 3 new Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. For these countries, just as with their neighbors, we can only hope to see Latin America coming into its own as a developing region, with citizens able to work more balanced schedules for better wages.