Jeb Bush: Americans Should Work Longer Hours

The presidential candidate says we need to be more productive.

Jeb Bush thinks you're not working hard enough. (Andrew Cline/Shutterstock)

Jeb Bush thinks you’re not working hard enough. (Andrew Cline/Shutterstock)

Updated 1:20 p.m.: Presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that Americans need to work longer hours.

Here’s Bush’s statement: “My aspirations for the country, and I believe we can achieve it, is for 4 percent growth as far as the eye can see. Which means we have to be a lot more productive. Workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours and through their productivity gain more income for their families. That’s the only way we are going to get out of this rut that we’re in.”

It came in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader. (Hat tip to Fortune for finding this little nugget.)

Bush said later attempted to clarify his comments:

“If we’re going to grow the economy people need to stop being part-time workers, they need to be having access to greater opportunities to work,” he told reporters, according to the Washington Post. He later said: “You can take it out of context all you want, but high-sustained growth means that people work 40 hours rather than 30 hours and that by our success, they have money, disposable income for their families to decide how they want to spend it rather than getting in line and being dependent on government.”

Many workers would argue that since the economic recession, companies have been asking employees to work longer and harder. In fact, the average workweek in the United States has increased 9 percent since 1979, according to the Harvard Business Review. Meanwhile, 46 percent of workplace stress is the result of overwhelming workloads, says Inc.

Plus, plenty of Americans are already working multiple jobs to support themselves, including 10 percent of teachers, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Meanwhile, Mother Jones has pounced, citing a 2014 Gallup poll saying that full-time workers in the United States work an average of 47 hours a week. It also cited an internal survey stating that 22 percent of people are expected to check email while not at work, and 46 percent do so when they’re sick.

Still, there’s little doubt that some Americans spend a good portion of their workdays surfing the web for celebrity gossip, sports news or other time-wasting activities.

Think Jeb is right and we’re not working hard enough? Or is he wrong? Sound off in the comments.