I am back

I am finally back from France!

I spent 10 days in France. This is the second time I have been to France. I spent three days in France in 1999...

I attended several lectures on the French business climate.

One of the most interesting was a seminar on The 35 Hour work week that France adopted. France adopted a maximum 35 hour work week a couple of years ago. Before that, they had a maximum 39 hour work week. The employers have to pay their employees for 40 hours...

This 35 hour work week is helping to further hurt the French economy. Many businesses have left France. They left because of the increased labor costs... Brilliant move...

Believe it or not The French government hoped that by forcing employers to lower their work weeks to 35 hours from 39 hours a week (And still making employers pay the SAME amount in wages) that unemployment would drop. They reasoned that ll French employers would immediately hire about 10% more workers. This did not happen...

Brilliant.