| 為什麼中國人勤而不富？（1） 說中國人不富有，有些人可能會跟你急，特別是那些非常“愛國”卻並不知道什麼叫做愛國的“愛國者”。對於愛國的含義，在《奧巴馬智取白宮》一書裡面，我曾經做了比較深入的思考和分析。這個主題“太乏味”，也太不着邊際，還是不談為好。 對於什麼叫做富有，什麼叫做購買力，什麼叫做時間投入的回報率什麼的，我就不羅嗦了。為什麼這些要素很重要，實在是因為它們和你財富的內涵和含金量有着太大的關係的緣故。財富不應該，也不能夠是單純的金錢數字。 即使是只講數字，在表面上看上去“非常”富有的中國，當你面對一個個出手闊綽的大款的時候，有些簡單的問題先問一問還是有點價值的。 第一個簡單的問題是：這許多人中間，如果扣除和房地產相關的獲利，他們剩下的到底是什麼？ 當然，你會說，從房地產撈錢也是本事，那也是響噹噹的票子。當然，你在說這話的時候，你很可能忘記了“時代造英雄”這句話，也不太可能會去思考：在這一代幸運之後，下一代呢？在你這為數比例很小的一部分幸運之後，那些多數人呢？在沒有多數人富有的國度，你該如何打造一個強大的國家呢？ 即使連這些也不管，只就僅僅關注與自己個人那點非常自私的個人利益，你再來扣掉他們手裡靠自己合理合法獲得的資產來投資、所獲得的部分，還扣掉他們不可能出手，也不能夠、不應該出手的自住那部分，那麼，他們又還有多少價值真正的被累積了起來呢？ 如果再繼續深問一句：在房地產這個巨大的泡沫破滅之後，他們的處境會是什麼？即使他們已經意識到房地產泡沫很可能破滅，他們又能做什麼？在沒有房地產泡沫可玩之後，他們還能做什麼？靠繼續炒作普洱茶、茅台酒來實現全民富有？ 接下來就是第二個問題了：將眼光再高看一點，看看那些“巨富”們，那些億萬級的“富豪”，如果你了解他們的“內涵”，如果你去掉他們以各種名義借的、貸的和忽悠到自己手裡，臨時讓自己指揮的那部分之外，他們還會剩下什麼？ 我從來就不相信一夜暴富的奇蹟，也不相信不食人間煙火，卻能夠說中文的“神仙”。在短短的幾十年之內，中國已經出現了太多次這樣的“奇蹟”，最終都被證明為騙子和忽悠。 我一再強調國內富豪的灌水問題，很多人和我爭論，現在流行的“路跑跑”和開始流行的巨富自殺潮，看來是越來越證明我看法的正確性了。 除掉泡沫，除掉忽悠，除掉原本就不是自己的那部分，如果再除掉損公肥私的再分配結果，中國人又到底擁有多少財富呢？對於這個問題的答案，我們恐怕只有靠猜測來獲得了。即使是中國這個國家，在扣除了這些，外加那數量巨大無比的，看上去價值連城，實際上已經一文不文的，為了政績而建造起來的“輝煌戰果”之後，中國實實在在擁有的財富，又到底有多少呢？ 我連想都不敢想！ 為什麼，因為，我為中國普通民眾這麼多年的犧牲所獲得的，實實在在屬於自己的那部分的微小和差質量，感到可憐和可悲！ 目前的中國，除了開始那幾年實實在在打造的那部分之外，現在這幾年的所作所為，更多的，在我看來，就是在自欺欺人，在自我浪費和相互忽悠。 如果你不相信我的判斷，就將眼光放到普通的老百姓身上，再去好好看看，看看他們所獲得的機會是不是更多了，他們所生活的環境是不是變好了，他們的生活質量是不是提高了，他們單位時間所獲得的價值是不是增加了，他們是不是因此而能更為健康的多生活幾年，那麼，你就知道和明白，什麼叫做中國的真正富有了。 不要以為我憎恨中國，如果你這麼想，那麼，你就大錯特錯。 我熱愛我的祖國，但是，我為我那些為數不少的依然生活在祖國的普通人不服，為他們覺得不公、不平、不安！ 是的，我和很多的“勢利鬼”不同，我老是喜歡將視角放在普通人身上。對於我，他們的富有和幸福，才是國家富有和強大的真正基礎。 中國依然很貧窮，普通中國人的日子過的不是越來越好，而是越來越差！中國正在成為一個越來越好看的紙老虎！有那麼一天，我擔心，中國會成為一個看上去強大無比，實際上不堪一擊，同時又非常難看的紙老虎。 在中國的歷史上，這樣的日子，中國人已經過過好久好久。這一次，他們能夠更幸運嗎？我還沒有看出來。 下面是一個國際間的，關於普通人生活中所投入勞動時間的效率的比較文章。和這些國家的普通民眾相比，那些不得不每天工作十幾個小時，每星期七天的普通中國人，即使他們獲得了在自己看來，和在與同胞相比“還算不錯”的薪水，那麼，在他們有時間——很難！——來對比一下自己所過的日子和這裡列出的國家人們所經歷的，再算上自己想享受一下奔馳這樣的，在發達國家比較普通的汽車車所必需付出的代價，外加自己根本就沒有時間來享受這種消費品的實在的尷尬，等等如此之後，我不知道他們能夠獲得的，又到底會是什麼樣的結論。 是的，說了這一切，最終也就是一句話：中國到了必須改變的時候了。 再繼續這樣將日子過下去，有一天，中國人生出的孩子，很可能好大一部分都是弱智的低能兒！ 到了那一天，即使你擁有再“偉大”的這和那，我不知道，你又能靠誰來運作，靠誰來實現你的“英明”和“偉大”？！ 難道，就靠一個個和一代代的“空降兵”嗎？！ 年輕人就業率最低的十大州 Countries Where People Work Least July 18, 2012 by Mike Sauter As the global economic recovery grinds to a halt, many workers feel the increased pressure of holding on to their jobs and putting bread on their tables. Some may hold several jobs or simply put in more hours at work. Indeed, in 2011, for the second year in a row, the average hours worked per person increased in the United States. But this is not the case among all developed nations. In fact, while people in countries like the U.S. and Spain increased their hours worked, the average for developed nations fell slightly. Earlier this month, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its 2012 Employment Outlook. The outlook paints a picture of the current labor markets in 32 member states, most of which are located in the Europe. In several countries, the average hours worked per year has fallen by more than 20. Based on the OECD report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 countries where people work the least. The average American worked 1,797 hours in 2011, or about 34.5 hours per week. In the countries on our list, the average hours worked was 1,611 or less, or the equivalent of 30 hours per week. In Austria, the average employed person worked just 1,330 hours, or a bit more than 25 hours per week. Hours worked in some of these countries declined further over the past year. In Denmark, the average hours worked fell by 40 hours for each of the past two years. In Luxembourg, they fell by 51 hours between 2010 and 2011 alone. The changes in hours worked on average can be affected, in part, by an actual increase or decrease in the amount of time full-time employees spend at work. However, a review of the data shows that part-time employment is also a major contributor to these changes. Of the 10 countries with the fewest average hours worked, nine were among the top 15 nations with the most part-time workers relative to the total working population, and four were in the top five. Netherlands has the highest proportion of part-time employees at 37.2%. That is more than double the OECD average. In the United States, only 12.6% of the total workforce work part-time. The countries on this list are among the wealthiest in the OECD, which generally represents the more developed nations. Of the 10 countries with the fewest average hours worked, nine have the highest gross domestic product per capita. The exception is France, which has the eleventh-highest GDP. Exemplifying the wealth of these nations, wages are also extremely high. The average U.S. worker earned a little more than $30 per hour in 2011. In these 10 countries, workers earned at least $31.27 per hour, and as much as $48.82 (in Denmark) per hour. Mark Keese, head of OECD’s employment division, told 24/7 Wall St. that the wealth and productivity of a nation plays a large part in the structure of employment in the country. One component of this is the technological sophistication of industry. “Generally, richer countries can and should see reductions in hours worked … basically, you have stronger productivity performance and eventually you’re replacing workers with machines, which allow you to cut back on the number of hours of work.” 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the OECD’s 2012 Employment Outlook to identify the countries with the fewest hours worked in 2011. The 26 countries we reviewed were all members of the OECD. We excluded four because current data were not available. We also compared these countries via other metrics provided by the OECD, including GDP per capita, unemployment and a variety of other employment and quality-of-life data for 2011 or the most recent available year. These are the 10 countries where people work the least. 10) United Kingdom
> Average annual hours per person: 1,611
> Average working hours per week: 31
> Average wage per hour: $31.27 (11th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 8% There has been a steady rise in annual unemployment rates in the United Kingdom. since 2008, when the rate was at 5.4%. Between 2007 and 2011, there was a 47-hour drop in the average annual hours worked in the U.K. This was paired with an average wage decline of 1% during the same time frame, even though there was an overall 0.5% increase in average wages for countries in the OECD report. The New Economics Foundation (NEF), a British think-tank, estimated in 2010 that a shorter workweek in the U.K. was inevitable if the government wanted to reduce unemployment. NEF stated there is an “an increasingly divided society with too much over-work alongside too much unemployment.” Indeed, the U.K. has the third-highest percentage of employees putting in 50 or more hours per week. 9) Finland
> Average annual hours per person: 1,578
> Average working hours per week: 30.3
> Average wage per hour: $33.63 (9th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 7.9% In 2011, Finland’s unemployment rate was just slightly below the OECD’s 8.2% average. While other countries have lower unemployment rates than Finland, the country combines high wages for those who are employed, the average being $33.63 an hour, with a cultural appreciation for integrating work and leisure. For example, saunas are treated as a viable place for business meetings and even foreign diplomacy. Additionally, only 3.66% of those who are employed in Finland work more than 50 hours per week. As a result, Finns have 14.89 hours a day for leisure and personal care, more than two-thirds of those countries for which leisure data was collected. 8) Luxembourg
> Average annual hours per person: 1,565
> Average working hours per week: 30.1
> Average wage per hour: $46.78 (2nd highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 4.9% The number of working hours declined 3.2% between 2010 and 2011 in Luxembourg, much higher than the 0.2% drop for all the OECD countries studied. The country’s average annual wages during this time fell by about 2%. The country’s labor laws include a maximum of 40-hour work weeks, with few exceptions, and only 3.7% of employees work 50 or more hours per week. Luxembourg citizens enjoy a GDP per capita of almost $90,000, the highest of the OECD countries studied, and more than twice that of the next highest country, the Netherlands. 7) Denmark
> Average annual hours per person: 1,496
> Average working hours per week: 28.8
> Average wage per hour: $48.82 (the highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 7.7% In 2011, Denmark had a 79.3% labor force participation rate, well above the 73.3% rate for the United States. Though participation actually has declined in recent years, from a high of 80.7% in 2008, having fewer workers in Denmark has not led to longer hours for current employees. Instead, the residents of Denmark worked an average of 1,496 hours in 2011, down 2.7% from an average of 1,538 in 2010 and 301 hours less than the average American. The average Dane had 16 hours a day to devote to leisure and personal needs, more than any other country surveyed by the OECD. One possible reason people may not feel obligated to work longer hours is that the average hourly wage in Denmark is $48.82, more than all other countries observed. 6) Ireland
> Average annual hours per person: 1,469
> Average working hours per week: 28.3
> Average wage per hour: $45.53 (3rd highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 14.6% Suffering from the third-highest unemployment rate of the OECD countries studied, workers in Ireland who are able to keep their jobs have experienced a 5% reduction in their average annual working hours since 2007. Still, Irish workers’ wages averaged $45.53 per hour, more than double the average wage in Spain. The minimum wage in Ireland is high — as of 2010, it was $10.67. To compare, the U.S. federal minimum wage is $7.25. Economists and politicians in Ireland argue the high minimum wage is a barrier to job creation. 5) Belgium
> Average annual hours per person: 1,446
> Average working hours per week: 27.8
> Average wage per hour: $38.90 (5th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 7.2% In 2011, Belgium’s annual unemployment rate fell to 7.2% from 8.4% in 2010. Not only does the country have an unemployment rate well-below that of the U.S., which had an unemployment rate of 9.1% in 2011, but Belgians also work far less than Americans. Compared to 2008, when employees in Belgium worked 1,469 hours on average, by 2011 they worked 23 hours less. Meanwhile, from 2009 to 2011, the number of part-time workers rose from 18.2% to 18.8% of all employees. Many of those who took these new positions were women, who constituted 79.9% of all part-time employees in 2011. That was more than all but two other countries. 4) Austria
> Average annual hours per person: 1,431
> Average working hours per week: 27.5
> Average wage per hour: $36.63 (6th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 4.2% Last year, Austria had a 4.2% unemployment rate, nearly half the OECD’s unemployment rate of 8.2%. Despite this low unemployment figure, many workers could not find full-time jobs as 18.9% were part-time employees, more than the OECD’s average of 16.5%. Whereas some Austrians worked few hours, still others did exactly the opposite, as 9.02% of employees worked more than 50 hours a week. Austria has high average wages, at $36.63 per hour — well above the $30.30 per hour in the United States. However, wages only increased an average of 0.3% per year between 2007 and 2011, below the OECD’s average of 0.5%, while the number of hours the average employee worked has fallen by 3.7% during that time. 3) France
> Average annual hours per person: 1,392
> Average working hours per week: 26.8
> Average wage per hour: $34.26 (8th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 9.3% The average annual hours worked for employees in France has decreased by nearly 100 hours since 1995. The French embrace their leisure hours, devoting an average of 15.33 hours to personal time, the fourth highest of the OECD countries reported. Some argue that French productivity is an issue, and compared to the average of 26 OECD countries reported, French workers spent about 17% less time at work in 2011. Yet, workers earned one of the highest average hourly salaries of the OECD nations, around $34.26 per hour. 2) Netherlands
> Average annual hours per person: 1,336
> Average working hours per week: 25.7
> Average wage per hour: $42.67 (4th highest)
> 2011 unemployment: 4.4%
Workers in the Netherlands enjoy low levels of unemployment, high incomes and one of the smallest proportion of employees working 50 or more hours a week — at only 0.7%. GDP per capita is also third highest among the countries we reviewed. In the OECD report, the Netherlands had the highest reported proportion of part-time workers in 2011 at 37.2%. 1) Germany
> Average annual hours per person: 1,330
> Average working hours per week: 25.6
> Average wage per hour: $35.33 (7th highest)
> 2011 unemployment rate: 6% Every year since 2007, Germans had the fewest hours worked on average, with a low of 1,296 in 2009. One reason this number was so low is that in 2011 14.7% of all employees were temporary workers, while 22.1% only worked part-time, both above OECD averages. Those in permanent, full-time positions also had significant time for themselves, as only 5.14% of Germans work more than 50 hours a week, less than half the 10.86% of Americans who worked that much in 2011. The average German had 15.31 hours a day to devote to leisure, one of the highest figures among OECD countries. In 2009, the German government introduced a program that allowed companies to cut work weeks for employees, as opposed to firing them, in exchange for the government’s pledge to cover remaining wages. –By Michael B. Sauter, Alexander E. M. Hess and Lisa Nelson 年輕人就業率最低的十大州 |
