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The working class in Spain Vicenç Navarro *

The Economic Policy Institute in Washington, one of the economic research and most prestigious in the U.S., published every two years a report on the status of the working population in the U.S. (The State of Working America), a widely used reference-even by the U.S. Congress, for its thorough documentation on the world of work in that country.

also includes information on working conditions in most OECD countries such a level of economic development, presenting data and graphics that are of great use to scholars the world of work in countries with higher levels of economic development.

In its latest report, released just weeks ago, economic and social data are clearly questioning the data constantly used in the centers that reproduce the conventional wisdom of Spain. Thus, in the chapter on annual hours per worker, Spain (frequently presented as a country of great laxity and lack of labor discipline) is listed as one of the countries in which workers work more hours per year. Specifically 1,654 hours, well above the average for OECD countries, 1,628 hours.

Another surprise is the indicator that contradicts another element of conventional wisdom that speaks constantly of low growth in productivity because of poor English economic recovery. The report notes that growth productivity in Spain over the period 2007-2009 was the highest (5.4%) of the OECD countries, with an average of -1.1%. The United States was lower than that of Spain, 4%, which contrasts with most OECD countries, which suffered a decline in productivity. Spain was also the country that destroyed more jobs, with a negative rate of job production (-7.2%).

Another interesting fact is the level of productivity, data different from productivity growth. Again, the figures contradict the view promoted by conservative and liberal who constantly refer to Spain as a country with low productivity. The report notes that English productivity is above not only of Greece, Portugal and Italy, but also in Japan and New Zealand.

is also interesting to analyze the salaries. Spain has the lowest in the OECD (along with Greece and Portugal). His hourly wage compensation in manufacturing (which are the highest paid workers in any country) is only 85% of the U.S.. Most countries in the EU-15 are well above the U.S. (172% Denmark, Sweden 147% 197% Norway, Germany and Austria 153% 144%). These data show that can not be justified low wages in Spain using the argument of an alleged low productivity.

In fact, Spain is not in the tail of the productivity of the OECD. Yes it is, however, the tail of wages. In fact, the wage level responds more to political than economic reasons. Thus, the variable that has enormous potential determinant of wage levels (and, of course, redistributive activity of the State) is the power of association. A higher union power, higher wages, lower inequality and greater productivity.

Another point of great interest is that in public sector analysis, the report noted that Spain is one of the least redistributive. The indicator that the report uses to measure the redistributive capacity of the state is the percentage of the population in poverty before and after the interventions. The State, through taxes, on the one hand, and public transfers, on the other, affects the distribution of income in a country.

Well, Spain is one of countries where the state has less impact on poverty reduction. This happens to be 17.6% of the population, before involving the State, to 14.1%, just 3.5 points behind. In the vast majority countries, the reduction is much greater. USA, one of the countries with the greatest inequalities, reduce poverty 9.2 points, more than twice as Spain. And if we go to countries like Sweden social-democratic tradition, we see that poverty reduction is 21.4 points. Spain, I repeat, only 3.5 points. This means that taxes are very regressive and very little public transfers.

The Nordic countries together with France, are the most redistributive. Spain, along with the Netherlands, Japan and the U.S., are less redistributive. Interestingly, more redistributive countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) are above average productivity in the OECD.

Norway is the world's most productive, and also one in which your state has a greater redistributive impact. This calls into question the neoliberal dogma according to which economic efficiency requires inequality.

What is also striking are the data on equal opportunities as measured by the rate of upward mobility (from father to son) between generations. Spain, along with Italy, Ireland and USA, is a country that has less social mobility. The education system has little impact on equal opportunities for all generations.

This is related to the dual educational system with the upper classes send their children to private school and working and middle classes send their children to public school. In these countries, the children of the working class find it more difficult to achieve levels of higher income classes. And that completes the picture, not very flattering "of the situation of the working class in Spain.

(*) Vicente Navarro is Professor of Public Policy at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Professor of Public Policy at The Johns Hopkins University