Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T19:39:06.304Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Working Hours of the World Unite? New International Evidence of Worktime, 1870–1913

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2005

MICHAEL HUBERMAN
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of History, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7; and Research Fellow at CIREQ and CIRANO. E-mail: Michael.huberman@umontreal.ca.

Abstract

This article constructs new measures of worktime for Europe, North America, and Australia, 1870–1913. Great Britain began with the shortest work year and Belgium the longest. By 1913 certain continental countries approached British worktimes, and, consistent with recent findings on real wages, annual hours in Old and New Worlds had converged. Although globalization did not lead to a race to the bottom of worktimes, there is only partial evidence of a race to the top. National work routines, the outcome of different legal, labor, and political histories, mediated relations between hours and income.

Type
ARTICLES
Copyright
© 2004 The Economic History Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altman Morris. 1999New Estimates of Hours of Work and Real Income in Canada from the 1880s to 1930: Long-Run Trends and Workers' Preferences.Review of Income and Wealth 45, no. 3 35372Google Scholar
Amsden Jon. 1972. Collective Bargaining and Class Conflict in Spain. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
Atack Jeremy, and Fred Bateman. 1992How Long Was the Workday in 1880?This Journal 52, no. 1 12960Google Scholar
Atack Jeremy, Fred Bateman, and Robert A. Margo. 2002Part-Year Operation in Nineteenth-Century American Manufacturing: Evidence from the 1870 and 1880 Censuses.This Journal 62, no. 3 792809Google Scholar
Atack Jeremy, Fred Bateman, and Robert A. Margo. 2003Productivity in Manufacturing and the Length of the Working Day: Evidence from the 1880 Census of Manufactures.Explorations in Economic History 40, no. 2 17094Google Scholar
Barmby Tim A., Marco G. Erolani, and John G. Treble. 2002Sickness Absence: An International Comparison.Economic Journal 112, no. 2 F31531Google Scholar
Barro Robert, and Xavier Sala-I-Martin. 1995. Economic Growth. New York: McGraw-Hill,
Beck Robert 1998: “C'est dimanche qu'il nous faut' les mouvements sociaux en faveur du repos dominical et hebdomadaire en France avant 1906.Le mouvement social 8, July–September 2351.Google Scholar
Beckerman Wilfred 1980. “Comparative Growth Rates of 'Measurable Economic Welfare': Some Experimental Calculations.” In Economic Growth and Resources, Vol. 2, edited by R. C. O. Matthews, 3659. London: Macmillan,
Bell Linda, and Richard B. Freeman. 1995. “Why Do Americans and Germans Work Different Hours?National Bureau of Economic Research, working paper, no. 4808,Google Scholar
Bienefeld Manfred A. 1972. Working Hours in British Industry. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson,
Bompard J. P., Thierry Magnac, and Gilles Postel-Vinay. 1990: “Emploi, mobilité et chômage en France au XIXe siècle: migrations saisonnières entre industrie et agriculture.Annales ESC 45, no. 1 5576.Google Scholar
Broadberry Stephen N. 1997. The Productivity Race: British Manufacturing in International Perspective, 1850–1990. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Butlin Noel 1964. Investment in Australian Economic Development, 1861–1900. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Casella Alessandra 1996. “Free Trade and Evolving Standards.” In Harmonization and Fair Trade, edited by Jagdish Bhagwati and Robert Hudec, 11956. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
Christensen J. P., 1975. Lønudviklingen inden for dansk håndværk og industri, 1870–1914. Copenhagen: Akademisk Förlag,
Clegg H. A., Alan Fox, and A. F. Thompson. 1964. A History of British Trade Unions since 1889. Vol. 1, 1889–1910. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Coghlan Timothy A. 1918. Labour and Industry in Australia, Part IV. London: Oxford University Press,
Cohen Jon, and Giovanni Federico. 2001. The Growth of the Italian Economy, 1820–1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Costa Dora L. 2000The Wage and the Length of the Workday: From the 1890s to 1991.Journal of Labor Economics 18, no. 1 15691Google Scholar
Crafts N. F. R. 1997The Human Development Index and Changes in Standards of Living: Some Historical Comparisons.European Review of Economic History 1, no. 2 299322Google Scholar
Cross Gary 1989. A Quest for Time: The Reduction of Work in Britain and France, 1840–1940. Berkeley: University of California Press,
Decouflé,A.-C., and N. Svendsen. 1984: “Contribution à une histoire des durées du travail dans l'industrie française du milieu du XIXe siècle à la seconde guerre mondiale.Travail et emploi 20 5771.Google Scholar
Denis Hector 1908. Les projets de limitation de la durée du travail des adultes en Belgique. Liège: Bénard,
Ehrenberg Ronald G. 1994. Labor Markets and Integrating National Economies. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution,
Ekirch A. Roger. 2001Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-Industrial Slumber in the British Isles.American Historical Review 106, no. 2 34385Google Scholar
Fogel Robert W. 2000. The Fourth Great Awakening and the Future of Egalitarianism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
Follows John W. 1951. Antecedents of the International Labour Organization. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Fowler Alan 2003. Lancashire Cotton Operatives and Work, 1900–1950. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate,
Fraser W. Hamish 1999. A History of British Trade Unionism, 1700–1998. New York: St Martin's Press,
Gårdlund Torsten. 1955. Industrialismens Sämhalle. Stockholm: Tidens Förlag,
Green Alan, Mary MacKinnon, and Chris Minns. 2002Dominion or Republic? Migrants to North America from the United Kingdom, 1870–1910.Economic History Review 55, no. 4 66696Google Scholar
Guedj Francois, and Gérard Vindt. 1997. Le temps de travail: une histoire conflictuelle. Paris: Syros,
Gutman Herbert G. 1973Work, Culture, and Society in Industrializing America, 1815–1919.American Historical Review 78, no. 2 53188Google Scholar
Hamermash Daniel S. 1996. Workdays, Workhours and Work Schedules: Evidence for the United States and Germany. Kalamazoo, MI: Upjohn,
Harmsen Ger, and Luchien Karsten. 1988. “Le premier mai: jour de manifestation dans le mouvement ouvrier néerlandais.” In Internationalism in the Labour Movement, 1830–1940, edited by Frits van Holthoon and Marcel van der Linden, 195216. Leiden: E. J. Brill,
Hatton Timothy, and Jeffrey G. Williamson. 1998. The Age of Mass Migration: Causes and Economic Impact. New York: Oxford University Press,
Heikkinen Sakari 1997. Labour and the Market: Workers, Wages and Living Standards in Finland, 1850–1913. Helsinki: Commentationes Scientiarum Socialium,
Hoffmann Walter. 1965. Das Wachstum der deutschen Wirtschaft seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Berlin: Springer Verlag,
Huberman Michael. 2004. “Workdays, Workweeks, and Annual Hours: New International Estimates, 1870–2000.Unpublished mimeograph, Université de Montréal,Google Scholar
Huberman Michael, and Wayne Lewchuk. 2003European Economic Integration and the Labour Compact, 1850–1913.European Review of Economic History 7, no. 1 343Google Scholar
Hunt E. H., 1985. British Labour History, 1815–1914. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
International Labour Organization. 1922: “Labour and Industrial Conditions in Australia in 1921.International Labour Review 6 (December) 101927.
International Labour Organization. 1925: “Legislation on Annual Holidays for Workers.International Labour Review 11 (July) 101927.
Jay Raoul 1891. La limitation légale de la journée de travail en Suisse. Paris: Larose,
Jay Raoul 1906. La limitation légale de la journée de travail en France. Rapport présenté à l'Association internationale pour la protection légale des travailleurs. Paris: Félix Alcan,
Jay Raoul 1915. La semaine anglaise: le repos le samedi après-midi. Paris, Félix Alcan,
Kaplow Jeffrey 1981La fin de la Saint-Lundi: étude sur le Paris ouvrier au XIXe siècle.Temps Libre 2, no. 1 2238Google Scholar
Kesser-Harris Alice. 1990. A Woman's Wage: Historical Meanings and Social Consequences. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky,
Kindleberger Charles P. 1951: “Group Behavior and International Trade.Journal of Political Economy 59, no. 1 3046.Google Scholar
Kossmann Ernst H. 1978. The Low Countries, 1780–1940. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Lewis Robert 2000. Manufacturing Montreal: The Making of an Industrial Landscape, 1850–1930. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins,
Liepmann Kate K. 1944. The Journey to Work: Its Significance for Industrial and Community Life. London: Kegan, Paul,
Maddison Angus 1964. Economic Growth in the West. New York: Twentieth Century Fund,
Maddison Angus 1982. Phases of Capitalist Development. New York: Oxford University Press,
Maddison Angus 1987Growth and Slowdown in Advanced Capitalist Economies.Journal of Economic Literature 25, no. 3 64998Google Scholar
Maddison Angus 1995. Monitoring the World Economy, 1820–1992. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
Maddison Angus 2001. The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
Marchand Olivier, and Claude Thélot. 1991. Deux siècles de travail en France. Paris: INSEE,
Marr William, and Donald G. Paterson. 1980. Canada: An Economic History. Toronto: Macmillan,
Matthews R. C. O., C. H. Feinstein, and J. C. Odling-Smee. 1982. British Economic Growth, 1856–1973. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press,
Milhaud Maurice 1932The 'Unbroken' Working Day.International Labour Review 26, no. 4 797812Google Scholar
Mitchell Brian R. 1980. European Historical Statistics, 1750–1975. Second edition. New York: Facts on File,
Mokyr Joel 2002. The Gifts of Athena: Historical Origins of the Knowledge Economy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,
N. W. Posthumus Institute. “Dutch National Accounts.Available at: www.http:// nationalaccounts.niwi.knaw.nl.
Neuville Jean. 1981. L'évolution des relations industrielles, Tome 2: la lutte ouvrière pour la maîtrise du temps. Brussels: Vie Ouvrière,
Ó Gráda Cormac. 1994. Ireland: A New Economic History, 1780–1939. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
O'Rourke Kevin, and Jeffrey G. Williamson. 1999. Globalization and History: The Evolution of a Nineteenth-Century Atlantic Economy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
Panaccione Andrea, Ed. 1989. The Memory of May Day. Rome: Marsilio Editori,
Pencavel John 1991. Labor Markets Under Trade Unionism: Employment, Wages, and Hours. Oxford: Blackwell,
Phelps BrownE. H., and M. H. Browne. 1972. “Hours of Work.” In The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, vol. 8 48790. New York: Colliers,
Polasky Janet 2001: “Transplanting and Rooting Workers in London and Brussels: A Comparative History.Journal of Modern History 73, no. 3 52860.Google Scholar
Pollard Sidney 1978. “Labour in Great Britain.” In The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, vol. 2, part 2, edited by Peter Mathias and M. M. Postan, 97179. New York: Cambridge University Press,
Puissant Jean 1986. “1886. La Contre-réforme sociale?” In Cent ans de droit social en Belgique, edited by Pierre Van Der Host, 66100. Brussels: Bruylant,
Rees Albert 1973. The Economics of Work and Pay. New York: Harper & Row,
Rist Charles 1898. La réglementation légale de la journée de travail de l'ouvrier adulte. Paris: Larose,
Rodgers Daniel T. 1978. The Work Ethic in Industrial America, 1850–1920. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
Rosenband Leonard N. 2000. Papermaking in Eighteenth-Century France: Management, Labor, and Revolution at the Montgolfier Mill, 1761–1805. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins,
Rosenbloom Joshua L. 1990: “One Market or Many? Labor Market Integration in the Late Nineteenth Century United States." This Journal 50, no. 1 85109.Google Scholar
Rosenbloom Joshua L. 1993: “Male Labor Supply in the Late Nineteenth Century.Research in Economic History 14 24168Google Scholar
Rosenbloom Joshua L. 1996: “Was There a National Labor Market at the End of the Nineteenth Century? New Evidence on Earnings in Manufacturing.This Journal 56, no. 3 62656.Google Scholar
Rosenbloom Joshua L. 2002. Looking for Work, Searching for Workers: American Labor Markets during Industrialization. New York: Cambridge University Press,
Rowntree B. Seebohm. 1913. Comment diminuer la misère: études sur la Belgique. Paris: V. Giard
Rouillard Jacques 1974. Les travailleurs du coton au Québec 1900–1915. Montréal: Les Presses de l'Université du Québec,
Schloss David F. 1898. Methods of Industrial Remuneration. Oxford: Williams,
Scholliers Peter 1996. Wages, Manufacturers and Workers in the Nineteenth Century Factory: The Voortman Cotton Mill in Ghent. Oxford: Berg,
1984. "Select Comparative Statistics 1900–1940: Australia and Britain, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and U.S.A." Source Papers in Economic History no. 4, Australian National University,
Sheills Martha E. 1990: “Collective Choice of Working Conditions: Hours in Britain and U.S. Steel, 1890–1923.This Journal 55, no. 2 37992.Google Scholar
Simpson James 1997Economic Development in Spain, 1850–1936.Economic History Review 50, no. 2 34859Google Scholar
Strikwerda Carl 1997. A House Divided: Catholics, Socialists and Flemish Nationalists in Nineteenth-Century Belgium. New York: Rowman & Littlefield,
Strikwerda Carl 1998. “France and Belgian Immigration of the Nineteenth Century.” In The Politics of Immigrant Workers: Labor Activism and Migration in the World Economy since 1830, edited by Camille Guerin-Gonzales and Carl Strikwerda, 11144. New York: Holmes and Meier,
Tegle Stig 1982. “Den Ordinarie Veckoarsbetstiden i Sverige, 1860–1980: En översikt.Unpublished manuscript, University of Lund,Google Scholar
Trempé Rolande. 1971. Les mineurs de carmaux, 1848–1914. Tome II. Paris: Éditions Ouvrières,
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1870. Reports from Her Majesty's Diplomatic and Consular Agents, vol. 66.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1871. Reports from Her Majesty's Diplomatic and Consular Agents, vol. 68.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1872. Reports from Her Majesty's Diplomatic and Consular Agents, vol. 62.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). Commission on Labour, Foreign Reports, vol. 39. 189394
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1899. First Annual Abstract of Foreign Labour Statistics, vol. 92.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1901. Second Annual Abstract of Foreign Labour Statistics, vol. 73.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1905. International Conference on Labour, vol. 73.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1906. Third Annual Abstract of Foreign Labour Statistics, vol. 113.
United Kingdom. Parliamentary Papers (PP). 1909. Reports of Earnings and Hours, vol. 80.
U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1989. Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1870. New York: Kraus Publications,
U.S. Department of Labor. 1900. Fifteenth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor: Wages in Commercial Countries. 2 vols Washington, DC: GPO,
U.S. Department of Labor. 1911. 24th Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor for 1909: Workmen's Insurance and Compensation Systems in Europe. 2 vols. Washington, DC: GPO,
U.S. Department of Labor. 1914. Workmen's Compensation Laws of the United States and Foreign Countries. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, no. 126. Washington, DC: GPO,
University of Groningen and the Conference Board GGDC Total Economy Database, 2003. Available at: www.eco.rug.nl/ggdc.
Vandermotten Christian 1980Tendences longues de l'évolution de la production, de l'emploi et de la productivité industriels en Belgique: 1840–1978.Cahiers économiques de Bruxelles 86, no. 2 261301Google Scholar
Vandervelde Émile. 1889. L'assurance ouvrière en Belgique. Brussels: Veuve Monnom,
Vandervelde Émile. 1896: “Inspection du travail en Belgique.Revue socialiste 23 (March) 31825.Google Scholar
Vandervelde Émile. 1897. “Les lois sociales en Belgique.Le Peuple, 12 MarchGoogle Scholar
Vandervelde Émile. 1906. La Belgique ouvrière. Paris: Edouard Cornely,
Vandervelde Émile. 1911: “La journée de neuf heures dans les mines.Revue d'économie politique, March-April 31825.Google Scholar
Van Houtte François-Xavier. 1949. L'évolution de l'industrie textile en Belgique et dans le monde de 1800 à 1939. Louvain: E. Nauwelaerts,
Varlez M. L., 1894. “L'Assurance intégrale.Rapport du Congrès International d'Anvers sur la législation douanière et la règlementation du travail. Brussels,Google Scholar
Voth Hans-Joachim. 1998: “Time and Work in Eighteenth Century London.This Journal 58, no. 1 2958.Google Scholar
Voth Hans-Joachim. 2000. Time and Work in England, 1750–1830. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Williamson Jeffrey G. 1995The Evolution of Global Labor Markets since 1830: Background Evidence and Hypotheses.Explorations in Economic History 32, no. 1 14196Google Scholar
Wintle Michael 2000. An Economic and Social History of the Netherlands 1800–1920: Demographic, Economic and Social Transition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Zamagni Vera 1993. The Economic History of Italy. Oxford: Clarendon Press,