Contrary to national stereotypes, French workers are more productive than their German counterparts and only marginally less productive than American workers

Recently, the CEO of a US manufacturer commented that his company would not invest in a factory in France due to concerns over the productivity of local workers. Surprised by these comments, Bob Hancké looked into statistics across Europe for labour market productivity and hours worked. He finds that French workers are nearly as productive as their American counterparts, and even more so than workers in Germany.