I say this because I think it’s an error to look at areas where Europe is a weak performer (e.g., unemployment and labor mobility) and conclude that these are the natural results of a leisure and family oriented society.

Their higher productivity per hour is very likely due to their higher capital investment per worker. There are multiple factors at work here:

1. the US makes extensive use of very cheap immigrant labor which is not available elsewhere and
2. because it is so difficult to fire workers in France, hiring someone represents a big commitment that companies generally try to avoid, making mechanical automation more attractive

The drawback of this phenomenon is high unemployment, and a relatively stiff labor market where people don’t change jobs. I’m sure that some European workers are very happy and grateful to stick with the same job for a long time, but held that others would welcome greater freedom to jump to — hopefully better — other jobs.

That said, I certainly would welcome more vacation in my schedule, and I envy you for that part of your lot. And there’s no doubt that there is a profound cultural difference in this area beyond the regulatory environment. I get the sense that even if all the laws were the same, Europeans are just less competitive about their careers and lose less sleep over their relative position to their peers, with the result being a more relaxed populace and slightly less dynamic economy.