Why is it that there are (presumably) more people in the work-place than 50 years ago, more tasks are computerised and/or automated and yet working hours are so much longer?

[LarryVeestAdamAntSpawnChorus]

This is a genuine question. I can't work it out. [simpleton]

It seems quite commonplace for people to work from 8.30 to 6pm (at6 least^). Where has all the busy-ness come from?

Economic growth I think, there is much more production. Also the world has got more complicated.

People are wasting more time surfing the net instead of getting on with the task at hand? . More seriously, I think that the level of admin work has increased since companies have to log almost everytime someone sneezes nowadays in case they get sued for it later.

Or maybe some people prefer spending more time with their colleagues than with their families? It's a good question, I have ocasionally wondered why my dd's primary school which is the same size as when I went there, has 3 admin staff/secretaries to run the school office now but in my day, it was one formidable lady with a typewriter.

We live in a much more consumerist society than 50 years ago. We demand more food, more clothes, more products of all sorts. We want holidays several times a year. We have a lot more technology that needs support. Medicine has advanced so there is much more for doctors, nurses, radiographeres etc to do...

I imagine there are hundreds of reasons like this. Also in a market led society competition is everything so people work harder to beat the competition. Things were much less market led 50 years ago.

But what sort of production?

And surely there are soooo many more people working now, due to there being more women WOHM.

I'm slightly embarrassed to be posting these questions, as I know I'm being too simplistic.

Hmmm yes - medicine is a v good example, I suppose!

lol at formidable lady with typewriter

I guess with the longer working hours (some industries being 24 hours), there is more need for managers to, well, manage the staff, sort out rosters and personnel issues, discipline staff as well as setting targets to be hit. Doesn't really explain longer working hours per se.

I think IT in some respects wastes more time than it saves. I used to work in accounts and once a week we had to back up our work. Whilst that was trundling through, no one was permitted to use the pcs. So we had to save up menial tasks like filing to occupy the time. With manual bookkeeping, you don't get the same amuont of 'down-time'. Then someone had to stay behind to keep an eye on the thing....

A paperless office was touted when all this technology arrived, but if anything it creates more. When everything was painstakingly done by hand, people were more careful, now if we make a mistake, just redo and reprint.

The nature of the technology has created a whole new dept, most companies have their own inhouse IT department and additional office managers just to manage the equipment needs.

It's about growth as well, the population is far more than 50yrs ago, more customers, more products, more paperwork. But just because there is extra work, companies don't necessarily staff to the correct levels in an attempt to save money, which would contribute to longer working hours for existing staff.