It is often argued that countries where people work longer hours tend to be more economically prosperous but face significant social problems. I agree with this assertion and I would support my thesis.
On the one hand, I believe that there are some reasons why working longer than administrative hours could make the country be more economically successful than others. The first reason is that working overtime could bring a lot of outcomes. In the contract that people sign with their own company, it has terms and conditions that if they work beyond office hours, they will have money correlated with the time they work. In addition, in the era of peace, economics plays a key role in global competitiveness. Longer working hours are crucial in transforming raw materials into finished goods and services, which significantly contribute to a country’s GDP. For example, when comparing between China and Angola, it is clear that China is superior in all economic aspects, especially for workers, about more than 20,000 USD per person, while in Angola this figure is only 1,000 USD per person.
On the other hand, I agree that working for a long time could bring about negative aspects for society. Firstly, working for a long time is blamed for potential physical and mental health problems. Workers’ rest and sleep time can be deprived, leading to harmful health outcomes. For instance, although France is one of the economically successful nations, its suicide rate, which is related to work, has climbed recently. Secondly, working too much can lead to a population shortage in the future. High work pressure can lead to more people focusing on work instead of finding happiness and family. It can cause population shortage effects for the future, especially children. For example, Japan is one of the highest economic countries, but the figure for its natural birth rate was low, so the government encourages citizens to have babies or even migrate people who are pregnant to have the nationality.
In conclusion, I agree that working overtime could bring more economy for the country, and it may bring many detrimental effects for society.