The French show up to work for that long, but what do they accomplish?
As http://www.ibtimes.com/us-labor-department-statistics-vindic... points out, the per hour productivity of French workers in manufacturing is only 78% of the per hour productivity of US workers. And going to the statistics linked in that chart, I note that French workers receive 144% of what US workers do per hour. (I looked for both India and China in the stats, but failed to find them.)
So yes, he's exaggerating. But he has a point. French workers do less and receive more than US workers. If I were a manufacturer, I wouldn't want to run a French factory either.
In many European countries, not just France, American per-hour wages would be considered exploitation. And that does not even begin to look at things like holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, workers compensation and of course health insurance.
I don't disagree. However from the point of view of the manufacturer, spending more and getting less isn't a good deal. Contrast with the South Korean model where manufacturers spend more and also get more. Where would you prefer to put a factory?
I'm a big fan of putting factories close to the region where the goods are consumed. In the long run that would seem to make the most sense. Of course, short term economical factors and longer term trends are not always in harmony. As long as CEOs are judged by quarterly earnings reports this will likely remain.
As http://www.ibtimes.com/us-labor-department-statistics-vindic... points out, the per hour productivity of French workers in manufacturing is only 78% of the per hour productivity of US workers. And going to the statistics linked in that chart, I note that French workers receive 144% of what US workers do per hour. (I looked for both India and China in the stats, but failed to find them.)
So yes, he's exaggerating. But he has a point. French workers do less and receive more than US workers. If I were a manufacturer, I wouldn't want to run a French factory either.