Ignorance?

[toongeorges]

In the EU,by law,you have to get minimum a month,some countries give much more.In France if you work the extended week,that means,39 hours a aweek,you are entitled to 9,5 weeks paid vacation.Most of eastern europe,is EU now.

In Belgium, you have 10 legal holidays (fixed date) and 20 holidays you choose. It is about the same in most countries in Europe, 9,5 weeks of holiday is not the norm.

In Belgium, we have what we call recuperation days for people who work more than the legal 38 hours per week, but this is certainly not the norm. Some people work 39 hours instead of 38 and they get 6 recuperation days per year. Some people work 40 hours instead of 38 and they get 12 recuperation days. These extra hours have to be required in the work contract (some employers require you to work 8 hours per day, e.g. from 8h30 until 17h30, 1h lunch break does not count as work), just deciding on your own to work extra time does not give you the right to any compensation.

So in the case of Belgium, working 39 hours per week (if required by the employer) gives you in total 36 days or 6 weeks + a day, of which 10 days are fixed (legal holidays) and 6 days can be fixed by the employer (the recuperation days).

So a month of holiday per year in Europe, yes. 9,5 weeks? Maybe only in France

 

[ariel81]

Who gives a crap about productivity?

Did you forget to take Econ 101?

Economic productivity is the single most important determinant in standard of living.

France has a far higher level of economic productivity than you understand. It is miles ahead of Argentina in measures of productivity.

Its miles ahead of Argentina,but much less than the usa,and many other countries in the world.Japan has much better productivity than france,you think the average japanese,lives better than the average frenchman?
The standard of living in europe,is much better than the one in the usa,where people live to work,instead of workibg for a living.
Standard of living is paid vacations,shorter working hours,universal healthcare,early retirement and so forth,not more money in the hands of the businessmen.

 

[ariel81]

In Belgium, you have 10 legal holidays (fixed date) and 20 holidays you choose. It is about the same in most countries in Europe, 9,5 weeks of holiday is not the norm.

In Belgium, we have what we call recuperation days for people who work more than the legal 38 hours per week, but this is certainly not the norm. Some people work 39 hours instead of 38 and they get 6 recuperation days per year. Some people work 40 hours instead of 38 and they get 12 recuperation days. These extra hours have to be required in the work contract (some employers require you to work 8 hours per day, e.g. from 8h30 until 17h30, 1h lunch break does not count as work), just deciding on your own to work extra time does not give you the right to any compensation.

So in the case of Belgium, working 39 hours per week (if required by the employer) gives you in total 36 days or 6 weeks + a day, of which 10 days are fixed (legal holidays) and 6 days can be fixed by the employer (the recuperation days).

So a month of holiday per year in Europe, yes. 9,5 weeks? Maybe only in France

You forget that is 20 working days,here,the 14 days,include the weekends,so in fact,you get only 10 working days,or even less.
In denmark you get 6 weeks,in sweden,you get 5 weeks,also,many places in the uk give 5 weeks

 

[semigoodlookin]

Are they really getting 2.5 months (9.5 weeks) in France, paid? I mean I am genuinely asking as that seems impossible. In theory one could not start work in France until mid-March each year. Or have one working week off each month

 

[toongeorges]

Are they really getting 2.5 months (9.5 weeks) in France, paid? I mean I am genuinely asking as that seems impossible. In theory one could not start work in France until mid-March each year. Or have one working week off each month

I looked it up and Wikipedia says it is possible, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_annual_leave_by_country

In France apparently they start from 25 paid holidays + 11 legal holidays. In France, people normally only work 35 hours per week, working 39 hours is a lot for them, so if they do, they get 20 compensation days. For each 3 days of holidays outside the holiday season, apparently they get a bonus day.

France has a history of socialist governments, this is one of its results. In Belgium, the French part is traditionally socialist like France while the Dutch part is more financially conservative like The Netherlands or Germany, so we actually have some decades old political tensions with the Dutch part wanting to save and the French part wanting to use subsidies. Per inhabitant, the Dutch part pays between 1000 - 2000 euro to the French part per year, it used to be more. If this money was used instead to pay off the national debt, we would have no national debt over 100% and it would be paid off in less than 10 years.

Another thing in Europe is that if you are ill, you still receive your wage. The average number of days people are ill is about 10 days per year. There are people who are almost never ill, like me, but then on the other hand you have people who are easily ill, which increases the averages. Some people can have a "burn out", sit home and keep being paid for 3 months.

 

[TheDonald]

Its miles ahead of Argentina,but much less than the usa,and many other countries in the world.Japan has much better productivity than france,you think the average japanese,lives better than the average frenchman?
The standard of living in europe,is much better than the one in the usa,where people live to work,instead of workibg for a living.
Standard of living is paid vacations,shorter working hours,universal healthcare,early retirement and so forth,not more money in the hands of the businessmen.

Umm, no.

France is the 7th most economically productive country in the world. Japan ranks 20th. The US, ranked #5, is only slightly ahead of France, with a difference in GDP per hour worked of $2.70.

As far as your arbitrary definition of standard of living, you are entitled to it. Each person defines what makes them happy.