IIRC according to OECD data, American workers average ~1800 hours/year, Germans ~1400/year, which maps closely to that income difference. So basically Germans

IIRC according to OECD data, American workers average ~1800 hours/year, Germans ~1400/year, which maps closely to that income difference. So basically Germans are equally productive, hour for hour, but have collectively chosen more free time over more purchasing power. (Also that chart has 2016 data for the US and 2013 data for Germany, making the comparison somewhat awkward)