Why Unpaid Overtime Destroys National Productivity

Lucas and Luna examine the macroeconomic impact of unpaid overtime, drawing on a 2025 study from the OECD showing that countries with the longest average working hours—like Mexico, South Korea, and the US—actually have the lowest productivity per hour worked. They explore the 'productivity paradox of overwork': why putting in extra hours doesn't translate to more output, and how Germany and the Netherlands prove that shorter workweeks boost GDP per capita. The episode zooms in on Japan's legal cap on overtime and Sweden's six-hour-day experiments as concrete policy examples. No productivity hacks—just the data on why working less can make a country richer. #UnpaidOvertime #ProductivityParadox #OECD #WorkHours #GDPperCapita #Germany #Netherlands #Japan #Sweden #SixHourDay #LaborEconomics #Overwork #Macroeconomics #ProductivityGrowth #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheProductivityPodcast #Economics Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo