Comparing Europeans and Americans is dangerous terrain, but last week Nicolai Tangen, head of Norway’s giant oil fund, went there. He told the Financial Times there was a difference in “the general level of ambition. We [Europeans] are not very ambitious. I should be careful about talking about work-life balance, but the Americans just work harder.”
This has been said often before. In Franz Kafka’s novel *Amerika*, published posthumously in 1927, the main character, Karl, travels from Europe to the US, where he meets a man who studies by night and is a salesman by day. “But when do you sleep?” asks Karl.
“Yes, sleep!” said the student. “I will sleep when I’m done with my studies. For the time being I drink black coffee.”
Europeans and Americans do things differently.
Europeans have more time, and Americans more money. It is a cop-out to say which you prefer is a matter of taste. There are three fairly objective measures of a good society: how long people live, how happy they are and whether they can afford the things they need. A society must also be sustainable, as measured by its carbon emissions, collective debt and level of innovation. So which side does it better?
Americans, who typically have less paid holiday, notch up the equivalent of more than an hour of extra work every weekday, compared with Europeans: 1,811 annual hours per American worker in 2022, versus about 1,500 across northern Europe, bottoming out at 1,341 in Germany, according to the OECD. Because Americans are also more productive per hour worked than most Europeans, their average incomes are higher than in all European countries bar Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland.
Key-Asparagus-2461 on
there is no money that can compensate the time of human life
LifeValueEqualZero on
Time
iwoketoanightmare on
The sweet spot is working in America for a European company. Get most of the pass through benefits and better pay scale.
Suissetralia on
no money in the world can make your life last indefinitely. Money in your deathbed has zero relevance, but having spent time with those you love doing the things you love is what matters.
If someone loves spending all their time working then good on them, i find it very sad
DonManuel on
Better for whom? Corporations or ordinary working folks?
MetaIIicat on
With no time at disposal, how and when Americans spend their money?
ahoyhoy2022 on
Universal health care. This pretty much eats up all our extra money in the US.
Good-Advantage-9687 on
Por qué no los dos ? 🤔
TheCraziestOfHorses on
You can’t buy time with money, but you can spend time making money
Mean-Ad-6246 on
It’s an interesting thought but why have all of the money with not enough time to enjoy it.
Personally, I’m comfortable and I always will be, I’m happy enough with my free time too, but I’d like more of it.
BetImaginary4945 on
Generationally money
Personally time
boat_enjoyer on
Take a look at American society and work culture. Would you want that in your country? I wouldn’t. There’s your answer.
Familiar_Ad_8919 on
weird generalization, some europeans have less time and less money
Time is not renewable, money is. A lot of people get so caught up in everyday life (understandable!) that they tend to forget the time that is ticking…
ducknator on
Super interesting read. Thank you!
GilgaMesz on
And here I am in Poland with neither.
TranslateErr0r on
I read a couple of times that in Africa they say “you have the watches, we have the time”.
Odd-Struggle-3873 on
Don’t Americans have greater wealth disparity meaning that *some* Americans have more money?
Unable-Nectarine1941 on
You can use time to make money but you can’t use money to make or buy time, so time is obviously better
iplaybingo07 on
„I wish I would have had more money.“
… said no one ever on his death bed
realdataset on
Time is money
ravnsulter on
European here: I have both more time and more money. It’s good.
evenprime113 on
Make money in the US, live in the EU. Formula for a sweet life.
pukem0n on
I mean, on your death bed you will not say you spent too much time with your family and wish you made more money instead. That kinda answers it.
Separate_Hand3730 on
When I talk to my friends in America earning more money than me. I think having more time is better.
Mygaffer on
As an American let me tell you, time is better.
Wachoe on
Time is money, friend
Strong-Author-334 on
Why should I work more? The company I work for and the investors are going to earn more money, not me 🤷♂️
This is bullshit narrative, Americans earn more because their country is richer than Europe. As simple as that. Working hours come from how work is regulated.
Comedor_de_rissois on
Time 100%
I’ve had more of both in the past and time is by far the most valuable.
p3p1noR0p3 on
Time, because its limited.
Full-Discussion3745 on
Where is this more money? Is it in statistics that basically tallies up all the money there is in the USA and then divides it by the total population to create a statistical truism that isn’t reflected by reality. The reason why I am asking this ( I am not doubting it) is that it is obvious that the capital wealth is concentrated in the USA. The university of Pennsylvania recently released a study that showed that the amount of homeless 55+ people will trippel by 2026 and the amount of pensioners without a pension (who will live of the grace of friends and family) will skyrocket
I think it’s time to stop comparing the EU and the USA we live by different metrics
aigars2 on
You only get one shot
GabeN18 on
As someone who regulary picks time over money, i can say it’s worth it every time.
pure-rivers on
People seem to forget that they won’t live forever, that your health is precious and can be taken from you at any second. Yes you need money to live, but it ain’t coming with you when you’re gone.
Time all the way.
Sidus_Preclarum on
Time anytime, any day. You’re only free when you’re not working (or at least working *for someone else*), which humanity full well knew before *fkn protestants came along* and spewed bs about “Beruf” and shit.
IllustratorSame1870 on
Amerikkka is a 3rd world shithole. Wish I could upvote this twice.
Europe is the best area on Earth by every metric and statistic.
America is also a FASCIST land of Nazis!
TheDungen on
We’ve got enough money to enjoy our time. Americans don’t have enough time to enjoy their money.
40 Comments
Comparing Europeans and Americans is dangerous terrain, but last week Nicolai Tangen, head of Norway’s giant oil fund, went there. He told the Financial Times there was a difference in “the general level of ambition. We [Europeans] are not very ambitious. I should be careful about talking about work-life balance, but the Americans just work harder.”
This has been said often before. In Franz Kafka’s novel *Amerika*, published posthumously in 1927, the main character, Karl, travels from Europe to the US, where he meets a man who studies by night and is a salesman by day. “But when do you sleep?” asks Karl.
“Yes, sleep!” said the student. “I will sleep when I’m done with my studies. For the time being I drink black coffee.”
Europeans and Americans do things differently.
Europeans have more time, and Americans more money. It is a cop-out to say which you prefer is a matter of taste. There are three fairly objective measures of a good society: how long people live, how happy they are and whether they can afford the things they need. A society must also be sustainable, as measured by its carbon emissions, collective debt and level of innovation. So which side does it better?
Americans, who typically have less paid holiday, notch up the equivalent of more than an hour of extra work every weekday, compared with Europeans: 1,811 annual hours per American worker in 2022, versus about 1,500 across northern Europe, bottoming out at 1,341 in Germany, according to the OECD. Because Americans are also more productive per hour worked than most Europeans, their average incomes are higher than in all European countries bar Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland.
there is no money that can compensate the time of human life
Time
The sweet spot is working in America for a European company. Get most of the pass through benefits and better pay scale.
no money in the world can make your life last indefinitely. Money in your deathbed has zero relevance, but having spent time with those you love doing the things you love is what matters.
If someone loves spending all their time working then good on them, i find it very sad
Better for whom? Corporations or ordinary working folks?
With no time at disposal, how and when Americans spend their money?
Universal health care. This pretty much eats up all our extra money in the US.
Por qué no los dos ? 🤔
You can’t buy time with money, but you can spend time making money
It’s an interesting thought but why have all of the money with not enough time to enjoy it.
Personally, I’m comfortable and I always will be, I’m happy enough with my free time too, but I’d like more of it.
Generationally money
Personally time
Take a look at American society and work culture. Would you want that in your country? I wouldn’t. There’s your answer.
weird generalization, some europeans have less time and less money
I don’t know, other sources ([AMECO datasets](https://dashboard.tech.ec.europa.eu/qs_digit_dashboard_mt/public/sense/app/667e9fba-eea7-4d17-abf0-ef20f6994336/sheet/2f9f3ab7-09e9-4665-92d1-de9ead91fac7/state/analysis)) claim that EU and US average worked hours aren’t that distant, not enough to justify the “lazy European” narrative, but apparently silly me for thinking that the main obstacles to being competitive were 27+1 different bureaucratic procedures and a lack of a true common language.
Excuse me?
Time is not renewable, money is. A lot of people get so caught up in everyday life (understandable!) that they tend to forget the time that is ticking…
Super interesting read. Thank you!
And here I am in Poland with neither.
I read a couple of times that in Africa they say “you have the watches, we have the time”.
Don’t Americans have greater wealth disparity meaning that *some* Americans have more money?
You can use time to make money but you can’t use money to make or buy time, so time is obviously better
„I wish I would have had more money.“
… said no one ever on his death bed
Time is money
European here: I have both more time and more money. It’s good.
Make money in the US, live in the EU. Formula for a sweet life.
I mean, on your death bed you will not say you spent too much time with your family and wish you made more money instead. That kinda answers it.
When I talk to my friends in America earning more money than me. I think having more time is better.
As an American let me tell you, time is better.
Time is money, friend
Why should I work more? The company I work for and the investors are going to earn more money, not me 🤷♂️
This is bullshit narrative, Americans earn more because their country is richer than Europe. As simple as that. Working hours come from how work is regulated.
Time 100%
I’ve had more of both in the past and time is by far the most valuable.
Time, because its limited.
Where is this more money? Is it in statistics that basically tallies up all the money there is in the USA and then divides it by the total population to create a statistical truism that isn’t reflected by reality. The reason why I am asking this ( I am not doubting it) is that it is obvious that the capital wealth is concentrated in the USA. The university of Pennsylvania recently released a study that showed that the amount of homeless 55+ people will trippel by 2026 and the amount of pensioners without a pension (who will live of the grace of friends and family) will skyrocket
The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness
https://aisp.upenn.edu/aginghomelessness/
I think it’s time to stop comparing the EU and the USA we live by different metrics
You only get one shot
As someone who regulary picks time over money, i can say it’s worth it every time.
People seem to forget that they won’t live forever, that your health is precious and can be taken from you at any second. Yes you need money to live, but it ain’t coming with you when you’re gone.
Time all the way.
Time anytime, any day. You’re only free when you’re not working (or at least working *for someone else*), which humanity full well knew before *fkn protestants came along* and spewed bs about “Beruf” and shit.
Amerikkka is a 3rd world shithole. Wish I could upvote this twice.
Europe is the best area on Earth by every metric and statistic.
America is also a FASCIST land of Nazis!
We’ve got enough money to enjoy our time. Americans don’t have enough time to enjoy their money.