With 34 current members, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development focuses on stimulating economic progress and trade among its democratic and market economy members. Its membership consists of the largest economies in the world, such as the United States, France, United Kingdom and Germany, as well as smaller economies such as Mexico, Turkey, Israel, and Luxembourg.
The OECD conducts studies among its members to gauge social and economic progress. One recently published report entitled “Society at a Glance 2011 – OECD Social Indicators” reveals some interesting characteristics about member populations.
With an average of 9.9 hours of paid and unpaid work each day, Mexicans work more than any other OCED member. Second is Japan, whose citizens work an average of nine hours a day, a fair amount of which is spent commuting to work. The U.S. ranks ninth on this list, with its citizens working an average of nearly 8.3 hours a day. At the bottom of the list is Belgium, whose citizens work an average of only seven hours a day.
The report distinguishes between daily paid and unpaid work. Mexicans again top the list at an average of 4.2 hours a day of unpaid work. With only 2.26 hours a day, the South Koreans rank the lowest in terms of unpaid work per day. The average American citizen spends 3.45 hours a day doing unpaid work. Much of the unpaid work category is made up of housework, of which the Mexicans again top the list with an average of more than three hours a day. At an average of one hour 19 minutes, the South Koreans spend the least amount of time dedicated to housekeeping.
One particular unpaid category tucked within housekeeping is the time dedicated to cooking of which the 2011 average among all OECD members is approximately 50 minutes. The Turks top this list with 74 minutes dedicated to cooking each day. Americans dedicate an average of 30 minutes a day to cooking and an average of one hour 14 minutes a day for eating, both of which rank among the lowest among all OECD members. However according to the OECD, one-third of Americans are obese, the largest percentage among all OECD members.
Another sub-category of unpaid work is shopping, of which the OECD average is 23 minutes a day. The French top this category with an average of 32 minutes a day, followed by the Germans (31 minutes), and Canadians (30 minutes). The average American spends 28 minutes a day shopping. South Koreans spend the least time per day shopping at just 13 minutes.
The U.S. has the second-highest household income after taxes and benefits ($31,000) of all OECD members, behind only Luxembourg ($34,000). With a $5,000 average, Mexico is at the bottom of this list.
In terms of income inequality within the population, Chile tops this list followed by Mexico, Turkey and the U.S. However, from the mid-1980s to the late 2000s, the U.S., with a 0.3 percent decrease, is only one of seven OECD nations that has seen its income equality decrease during this time period. Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and Denmark are the OECD members with the lowest income inequality.
On average, 11 percent of citizens in OECD nations live in poverty. Topping this list is Mexico, with 21 percent, or approximately one in five people living in poverty. More than 50 percent of Mexicans report that it is hard to get by on their current income. Following Mexico are Israel (19.9 percent), Chile (18.9 percent), and the U.S. (17.3 percent). Countries with the lowest percentage of poverty levels are the Czech Republic (5.1), Denmark (6.1), and Hungary (6.4).
According to the report, despite Mexico’s poverty and income inequality, “Mexicans report the third-highest positive psychological experiences (feeling rested, smiling, learning and enjoyment) and lower than average negative experiences (pain, worry, stress, sadness, depression).” Americans rank tenth on this list.
Two statistics in the report relate to the confidence in social institution index, which measures citizens’ faith in these institutions, and the corruption index that measures the level of corruption perceived by citizens in their countries. With a ranking of 75 and 82, respectively, Denmark and Finland top the confidence in social institution index. With a 58 on this index, the U.S. ranks in the middle of the pack, while Mexico ranks last on this list with a 38. Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden) rank highest in terms of the low levels of corruption perceived by citizens in their country. Surprisingly, The U.S. ranks 21 on this list, two spots behind Mexico.
Finally, in terms of voting rates of citizens, Australia (95 percent), Luxembourg (92 percent) and Belgium (91 percent) top the list. At the bottom of the list are Korea (46 percent), the U.S. (48 percent), and Switzerland (48 percent). The report can be accessed at www.oecd.org.
Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program. He can be reached at 575-589-2200, Ext. 17, or at jerry@nmiba.com.
