Americans suffer from an overdose of work. Regardless of who they are or what they do, Americans spend more time at work than at any time since World War II.(1)___________________________. Today it exceeds any country but Japan, where industrial employees log 2,155 hours a year, compared with 1,951 in the US, and 1,603 in the former West Germany. Between 1969 and 1989 employed Americans added an average of 138 hours to their yearly work schedules.(2)_________________________________. Specifically, paid time off, holidays, vacations, sick leave shrank by 50 % in the 1980’s. As corporations have experienced stiff competition and slower growth in productivity, they have pressed employees to work longer. Cost cutting lay-offs in the 1980’s reduced the professional and managerial ranks leaving fewer people to get the job done. In lower paid occupations,(3)___________________________. The government estimates that more than 7 million people hold a second job. For the first time, large numbers of people say they want to cut back on working hours even if it means earning less money. But most employers are unwilling to let them to do so. The government, which has stepped back from its traditional role as a regulator of work time should take steps to make shorter hours possible.
