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12 November, 2000An international comparison within the metal industry of working time required for the purchase of various consumer items has been published by the International Metalworkers' Federation.
GENEVA: The International Metalworkers' Federation has once again published its very popular survey entitled "The Purchasing Power of Working Time". The report, an international comparison of metalworkers' average net hourly earnings expressed in working time required for the purchase of a wide range of selected consumer items, is based on data for 1999 and includes 63 countries worldwide.
Industry sectors covered in this year's survey are: basic metals, machinery and equipment, electrical machinery and apparatus, radio, television and communication equipment and apparatus, motor vehicles, ship and boat building and repairing, aircraft and spacecraft, and all manufacturing industries.
Did you know, for instance, that to buy a kilo of bread a metalworker in the motor vehicle industry must work for 46.5 minutes in the Rep. of Korea, 25.5 minutes in Argentina, 13 minutes in Austria, 12 minutes in Japan and only 3.5 minutes in Canada? For the same countries but in the electrical machinery industry, it takes a worker 57 minutes on the job to buy a kilo of bread in Korea, 18 in Argentina, 14.5 in Austria, 14.5 in Japan and 4.5 in Canada.
Taking an example of durable goods, the time needed on the job for a ship/boat building worker to purchase a refrigerator in India is 466 hours, Romania 357 hours, Poland 227.5, Brazil 194 hours, South Africa 180, Greece 149, Korea 104, Argentina 78, Cyprus 70, Norway 41, Japan 38, France 32.5 and the USA 19.5.
The "Purchasing Power of Working Time" can be downloaded from the IMF's website under "Publications". Hard copies may be ordered from the IMF website under "Do you know", by e-mail on [email protected], or by fax: +41.22.3085055. It is available in English, German, French and Spanish.
Industry sectors covered in this year's survey are: basic metals, machinery and equipment, electrical machinery and apparatus, radio, television and communication equipment and apparatus, motor vehicles, ship and boat building and repairing, aircraft and spacecraft, and all manufacturing industries.
Did you know, for instance, that to buy a kilo of bread a metalworker in the motor vehicle industry must work for 46.5 minutes in the Rep. of Korea, 25.5 minutes in Argentina, 13 minutes in Austria, 12 minutes in Japan and only 3.5 minutes in Canada? For the same countries but in the electrical machinery industry, it takes a worker 57 minutes on the job to buy a kilo of bread in Korea, 18 in Argentina, 14.5 in Austria, 14.5 in Japan and 4.5 in Canada.
Taking an example of durable goods, the time needed on the job for a ship/boat building worker to purchase a refrigerator in India is 466 hours, Romania 357 hours, Poland 227.5, Brazil 194 hours, South Africa 180, Greece 149, Korea 104, Argentina 78, Cyprus 70, Norway 41, Japan 38, France 32.5 and the USA 19.5.
The "Purchasing Power of Working Time" can be downloaded from the IMF's website under "Publications". Hard copies may be ordered from the IMF website under "Do you know", by e-mail on [email protected], or by fax: +41.22.3085055. It is available in English, German, French and Spanish.