For years I always read about how much harder Japanese worked than other
countries. Apparently the tide has turned, according to an International
Labor Organization report, Americans work more hours now than any country
in the world. 

Hours worked per year:

US   1,979
Japan  1,842
UK  1,719
Germany 1,480


Productivity per worker (in US $):

US  $54,870
Belgium $53,370
Canada $44,870
Japan $40,870

If you calculate productivity per hour Belgium and France come out on top.

I think the longer # of hours worked in the US is due to opportunity;
there has been a lot of work available in the past decade and people take
advantage of it. I would expect lower productivity per worker in Japan
since there has always been a lot of overemployment, keeping workers on
that you don't really need. This raises business costs but lowers social
costs associated with unemployment.

All things considered, I think I'd rather live in France and have 6 weeks
vacation a year.

Probably all those vacations those unindustrious Europeans get every
year.