It is often believed that economic success of a nation is predominantly because that country has longer working time than their counterparts. I wholeheartedly disagree with this view because being successful economically does not only depend on the hours of working, but also on whether a person’s salary could meet their living standards or not.
To explain, long working hours do not always result in the economic growth of a nation. Take, Southeast Asian nations, as an example, their restaurants, buildings and services usually open late until midnight; some even open 24/7. This means that the average working time for people there is generally longer than residents of other nations. However, their economy is not as developed as other European and American nations, proving that longer working hours are not the primary reasons for economic development.
In fact, in order to access if a country is thriving or not, the salary in comparison with the living standards should be evaluated. This is because the salary reflects directly the countries’ economy. In developed nations, citizens’ salaries are usually higher than those of developing ones. For example, software developers can earn around 1000–2000 dollars in Vietnam monthly, but they can earn up to 10,000 dollars if employed in America. The wide discrepancy in earnings allows individuals to cover their living expenses and to save money for other demands at the same time. Those opposed to this would mention the high living cost in the developed regions. Nevertheless, when comparing the salary with the living standards of each person, it is easy to notice that despite higher cost of living, each person can still be able to use the money earned to travel to Asian countries, where the fees are much cheaper for holidays. Meanwhile, someone with 1000–2000 dollars monthly income can hardly pay the expenses for travelling to Europe or America.
In conclusion, not all nations with longer hours of working have a more successful economy compared to those who have less working hours because the economic growth often relies on the person’s income comparing to their living standards.