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A report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) gives clues on the countries were people work the hardest. The top in the list of the hardest working countries are the Nordic Denmark, Sweden and Norway, which are also the countries with the most stable political and economic situations and where the level of inflation is the lowest. The United States hardly managed to get into the top 10, the main reason being a lower rate of employment, in particular among young people.

Forbes analyzed the report and came up with an analysis of the official employment rate of each country for 3 age groups. The employment rate is the number of people employed taken as a percentage from the total population. The three age groups are as follows: the group of people aged between 15 and 24, who whether attend school or are at the starting point of their career; the group of people aged between 25 and 50 who are in the middle of their career; and people aged between 50 and 65 who are getting ready for their retirement.

The journal ranked the 30 countries of OECD for each of the three categories. It also ranked the nations according to the average hours worked by a person in a year. By averaging the ranks, Forbes came up with a composite rank and starting from this point the journal created its top 10 list of countries that employ the highest number of workers for the greatest amount of time. It is worth mentioning that the ranking change from year to year. This mostly takes place during instable economic times, like the global economic crisis. Due to the fact that the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development published its data in 2007 some of the components of the report might be outdated.

Europe 

Some information in the rankings shows cultural differences. Susan Fleck, who holds the position of the director at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, specializing in labor market, considers that the total employment rates are maintained at a low level in the Mediterranean countries due to the fact that women still face discrimination there. The lowest employment rates among the female population of Europe is registered in Greece and Italy, that hold 20th an 28th place respectively in the list of the most hardworking countries. The data is also influenced by policy. The French government, for example, for a long time has a 35-hour workweek. In contrast, the Nordic countries' high positions in the rankings come from the data collection methods carried out by their governments. In the United Sates the Bureau of Labor Statistics examines individual businesses when performing its annual estimates of income and employment, but in the Nordic countries, governments demand all employers to provide detailed information on such things as headcount, hours and wages throughout the year.

''They will have a computerized list of the number of jobs available at every company'' which they use in order to match job seekers with jobs, explains Fleck. With such details at hand, the governments of these countries are able to fill jobs efficiently. It is possible that high employment encourages spending and helps the economies of these countries continuously register growth. But each system has its advantages and disadvantages, for example bureaucracy can suppress innovation. 

New Zealand 

It was quite a surprise to find the second place in the list occupied by New Zealand, which showed about the same results as Switzerland. This is because the small number of people living in New Zealand (approximately 4.1 million) managed to create a labor shortage so impressive that it increases working hours by itself. Commenting on this fact, the former lawyer at the UN's International Labor Organization, Sally Paxton, who at the moment works as a consultant for companies on issues related to labor, said: ''Employers give more hours because they can't spread that work around to others.''

Korea and Japan Not in the List

Sally Paxton was rather amazed not to see in the top ten list of most hard-working countries such nations as Japan and Korea, which were known for their competitive enthusiasm. People in these countries had long working hours, with Korea coming first having an average of 2,316 hours per worker. The consultant on labor issues says ''because a culture of seniority prevents hiring and firing at will, they are retaining an older workforce'' at the expense of a younger generation. This is true, since the employment rate among people aged between 15 and 24 in Korea is one of the lowest in among the 30 nations that are part of the OECD, only 26 percent. About the same results were registered by the Mediterranean countries, with a 25 percent youth employment, and a preference given to senior employees.

The Nordic countries have similar education policies as countries that are lower in the list, which is why a question arises: how do they manage to keep a high rate of employment among the young population? The answer is rather simple – they keep the youth busy in part-time jobs. For example let's take Denmark, where the employment of young people hit a record-high 67 percent. Part-time jobs also help these countries to keep a high rate of employment among women.

Next year the OECD will publish the results of the 2008 survey, which will reflect the impact of the economic crisis and give more accurate data. Currently the list is lead by Iceland, which was hit by the crisis so hard that the country has stated national insolvency. In addition, the global economic and financial crisis has a devastating effect on Spain too, which at the moment faces a record unemployment of more than 19 percent.

Here is the full list of the top 10 hard-working nations (before the global economic crisis); the figures show the employment rate among youth, the peak employment rate, older workers employment rate and average annual hours worked (AAHW):

10. Australia

Ages 15-25 - 64.2%

Ages 25-54 - 80%

Ages 55-64 - 56.7%

AAHW: 1,722

9. United Kingdom

Ages 15-25 - 55.9%

Ages 25-54 - 81.3%

Ages 55-64 - 57.4%

AAHW: 1,670  

8. United States

Ages 15-25 - 53.1%

Ages 25-54 - 79.9%

Ages 55-64 - 61.8%

AAHW: 1,794

7. Norway

Ages 15-25 - 56%

Ages 25-54 - 85%

Ages 55-64 - 69%

AAHW: 1,417

6. Sweden

Ages 15-25 - 46.3%

Ages 25-54 - 86.1%

Ages 55-64 - 70.1%

AAHW: 1,562

5. Canada

Ages 15-25 - 59.5%

Ages 25-54 - 82.2%

Ages 55-64 - 57.1%

AAHW: 1,736

4. Denmark

Ages 15-25 - 67.4%

Ages 25-54 - 86.1%

Ages 55-64 - 58.7%

AAHW: 1,577

3. Switzerland

Ages 15-25 - 62.6%

Ages 25-54 - 86.1%

Ages 55-64 - 67.2%

AAHW: 1,657

2 . New Zealand

Ages 15-25 - 58.7%

Ages 25-54 - 82.2%

Ages 55-64 - 72%

AAHW: 1,771

1. Iceland

Ages 15-25 - 74.3%

Ages 25-54 - 89.4%

Ages 55-64 - 84.9%

AAHW: 1,807