The Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos (FFMS) launched a new episode of its podcast "Inpertinente" with the theme "Does productivity buy happiness?". The episode addresses the relationship between productivity, working time, and well-being throughout history.
Economist João Duarte is the guest responsible for analyzing the impact of productivity on the hours we work and our vacation time. The specialist explores how increased productivity has allowed humanity to become richer and gain more free time over the centuries.
A relevant piece of data mentioned in the podcast is that we currently work about half the time our great-grandparents worked. The central question is whether this trend of reducing working hours will continue in the future.
The episode also compares realities between regions: in Europe people work less than in the United States. Curiously, Portugal is closer to the American reality than the European one regarding working hours.
