> in France and Spain the average is around 35 hours The only way I can see that is true for Spain is if you count unemployed people and precarious jobs. Rega

> in France and Spain the average is around 35 hours The only way I can see that is true for Spain is if you count unemployed people and precarious jobs. Regardless, my best guesses for why 40 hrs / week is still standard: - More globalization and decreasing tariffs over the last decades means more competition. - Companies get bigger and bigger, and big companies are inefficient: 16 hrs / week is not even enough to actually start working: check mail, RSVP meetings, report to manager, justify expenses, do paperwork and whatnot is more than that already.