Work Life in the U.S. vs. Elsewhere
by sterling.simpsonjohnson on Apr 25, 2015 | Views: 40 | Score: 0
When discussing my interest in International Business with my peers, I often hear statements along the lines: why would I learn another language and move outside of the country? Practically everyone in the U.S. speaks English and we have the best economy in the world. While the latter part of these arguments may be true, there are many reasons for supporting the prior.
Paid Vacation/Holiday Time by Country
| Paid Vacation Days/Holidays | Annual Time Spent Working | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | 0 | 1788 |
| Spain | 816 | 1665 |
| Austria | 840 | 1623 |
| France | 744 | 1489 |
| Germany | 720 | 1388 |
One reason for learning a language and moving abroad is to live a more relaxing life style! Unlike the U.S., where the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has not required companies to allot time-off to their employees since 1938, foreign companies are much more accommodating. However, in order to be qualified for these work opportunities, people will need to know the relevant language(s) of these regions. Although it is true that English is the international business language, from personal experience I can attest that business transactions conducted in a particular market is not always conducted in English.
Total Tax Wedge as a Percentage of Labor
| Taxes | |
|---|---|
| U.S. | 30.1 |
| Spain | 40.7 |
| Austria | 49.1 |
| France | 48.9 |
| Germany | 49.3 |
Taxes also seem to be a main concern that individuals express when supporting their reasons to live in the U.S. However, usually people merely glance over this area without going into any details. For the most part, people simply know that they are paying less taxes in the U.S. than individuals that live in other countries- which for the most part is true. Nevertheless, people should also consider the additional benefits that could be gained from paying more taxes. In 2012 the average American spent $8,915 on health care. Comparing this with the average salary of $44,888 in 2014, Healthcare alone exhausted about 20% of the average American's income. Combined with taxes, Americans typically lose half of their income to healthcare and taxes, while receiving 0 days of guaranteed vacation. Other countries, on the contrary, enjoy receiving free healthcare and other benefits provided by the government as a result of their tax "dollars". Though you may think that life in the U.S. trumps the standard of living in other countries... upon second thought, are you sure about that?
This is a compelling argument that speaks to balance and equality of life issues that American have traditionally accepted as the US being the optimum choice. Living to work vs. Woking to Live is a European concept that extends beyond 2 weeks vacation of the so-called "Entittled Americans."
Americans definitely have a workaholic streak to them on the whole. Leisurely time is even looked down upon to a certain extent, but people elsewhere live with less and still lead considerably happy lives. A more 'working to live' rather than 'living to work' attitude might serve the US well.