So Sarko told them yet again in his April TV show. Well, by international standards this makes sense. Dupont leads the world in days off. In 2007 – leaving aside his RTT days, related to the 35-hour week – he was entitled to 37 days holiday. The Italians came next with 33 days, the Brits had 26 and – in terms of entitlement – the Americans trailed with just 14.

But remember this: time spent in the workplace is not the same thing as productivity. Although this might seem paradoxical in the light of the above figures – and our own observation – French productivity per hour worked ranks among the highest in the OECD. According to some estimates, it’s superior to the US rate.

From Riviera Reporter Issue 128: Aug/Sept 2008