ABC Hypes Epidemic of Extreme Jobs Burning 70 Hours/Week

Business & Media Institute ^ | Nov. 28, 2006 | Ken Shepherd

[freemarket_kenshepherd]

American laborers are “going to extremes” working in jobs “where 60 hours a week can be considered part-time, and overtime is an understatement.”

That’s how ABC anchor Charles Gibson teased a story in the opening credits of the November 27 “World News.” Yet for all the hype, fewer than one percent of Americans hold these type of “extreme” jobs, and most are well-compensated.

The “so-called extreme jobs,” Gibson told viewers, involve “high-pressure work that often comes with a very high salary and a very heavy personal toll.” Yet it’s only about “2 million Americans” that “fall into this fast-growing category,” Gibson conceded as he introduced a report by Betsy Stark.

In a nation of roughly 300 million people, that’s only 0.67 percent of the country’s population, although Stark’s report made “extreme” work sound like a pandemic.

What’s more, Gibson got his 2 million number by rounding up from the 1.7 million Americans in “extreme” jobs as determined by the New York-based Center for Work-Life Policy (CWLP). Stark featured CWLP senior fellow Catherine Orenstein in her story but did not mention the organization’s name or its ideological leanings.

A review of CWLP’s Web site shows the group often focuses on traditional liberal workplace concerns such as the number of women and minorities in executive leadership in American business. Liberal activist and Princeton religion professor Cornel West serves as CWLP vice president. In 2001, West resigned his post at Harvard University after then-president Larry Summers criticized West for focusing on political activities at the expense of his academic obligations.

Stark chose a Florida lawyer as a textbook case of the “extreme” worker. The correspondent profiled 35-year old David Shontz, a “man who rarely vacations,” who is “a trial lawyer hoping to make partner at his firm..."

[ClaireSolt]

Many foreign visitors comment on how hard Americans work. I can't help remembering the social engineer who decided that anyone who is over 5'10" should not play volleyball. Not fair. btw, this seems disingenuous to me, as TV news crews often work round the clock.

[TexanToTheCore]

There are a lot more than two mlllion.

[durasell]

I entered the workforce during that time period -- 50s to 70s. Looking back on it, the staffing was amazing. You had a secretary and a typing pool and a travel office. Basically you had three people during the job of one person today. Two hour lunches were considered the norm.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

It's a choice. When I need to work 100+ hours a week, I do, and I cut way back on sleep. When I don't, I don't. The big question is what do people do when they're not working? There are too many people, in my opinion, who spend their lives doing things that do not make the most of their God given talents, and that actually diminish they're importance in the world. Life is an incredible gift. I'd rather live less long, but feel that I've not wasted my life, than to have all the relaxation in the world. For the record, the number one priority in my life is my young son.

On a related topic, punishing people who delay gratification and who invest their lives in preparation for a specific contribution (e.g. obtaining lots of tertiary education and training) will have the effect of dampening the enthusiasm people have for making these kinds of investments with their lives. In the end, just as has happened in every socialist/communist country, the motivation for self sacrifice is suppressed, and the achievements and productivity of that society diminish.

[USS Alaska]

Thank god I live in Europe.

We do.

[null and void]

Nope. A couple jobs back I was replaced by three H1-B's.

You pays your money (or demands your salary) and you takes your choice...

[durasell]

Tough one.

[lormand]

"I'm self employed and I easily work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, sometimes more."

Is your job posting messages on forums?

If so, I am extremely skilled in this, and would like a shot at this job too.

[null and void]

When I need to work 100+ hours a week, I do, and I cut way back on sleep.

I've found that an extra meal helps replace 4 hours of sleep. (OTOH, I now weigh 292 lbs)...

[AdamSelene235]

You don't get rich working 40 hours a week

Rockefeller put in around 4 hours per day.

[null and void]

*shrug* It happens. I'm still in touch with them as they are patenting a couple of my ideas. No hard feelings.

[durasell]

Also, I'd add, the kids today putting in those hours are much, much healthier than the 40 hour a week guys back in the day. It wasn't uncommon to go to a funeral for a guy in his early 60s who died on the golf course or who suffered profound liver damage from drinking.

[durasell]

Rockefeller put in around 4 hours per day.





Which one?

[RockinRight]

In this area, there are a lot of "mom-and-pop" places that have gone under. I remember a little store I used to go to but they closed every night at 6, and closed Sundays, so I'd go to Wal Mart that was not only cheaper but open later. I preferred the hometown feel of the small store, but since, like most people, I work during the day, if they aren't going to be open when I can go there, they can't get my business.

[RockinRight]

Very true, but if he has to work more to ensure there's a home to go to, I'd hope he would.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

But I'm sure it's 292 pounds of lean mean muscle.

[AdamSelene235]

The Rockefeller.

[RockinRight]

A couple lean years in my job I have done just that. And in a good year I could work 45 hours and make twice that.

[CAWats]

Software developers routinely work these hours.

[null and void]

Butt of course!