The French may have pluck, but the hard work thing continues to elude them.
Facing mounting budget deficits, the government there has proposed moving the retirement age from 60 to 62.
Compare that to 66 for full retirement benefits in the U.S. And that’s not the only difference.
There’s the 35-hour French work week, which adds about 22 days of free time per year to the average French worker’s life compared to his American counterpart.
And the 12 official holidays, during which nearly all business ceases.
What about overtime? There is none; it’s forbidden.
Then there is the guaranteed minimum five weeks of vacation, more for many workers. The French newspaper Le Figaro gives its employees eight weeks of vacation per year.
Hear that, Sun Journal?
In all, the average Frenchman works 300 fewer hours a year than the average American.
Yet, the French aren’t giving up on the age 60 retirement target easily.
“Today is a day of sadness and anger,” a Left Party leader told the Washington Post. “The end of retirement at 60 is the end of the world.”
No, monsieur, that would be moving to the U.S.
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