Georgia among the nation’s hardest working states of 2021

Even when given the option to take it easy, most American workers don’t. Americans only use about half of their vacation days each year, but forfeited even more than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CNBC.

There are many reasons workers don’t take all their earned time off, from fear of looking less dedicated to worrying about falling behind on their work.

Americans put in an average of 1,767 hours per year as of 2021, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s 435 hours a year more than Germans, but 357 fewer than Mexicans.

Within America, some states work harder than others. In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions: direct work factors — average hours worked, employment rate, workers leaving vacation days on the table and other metrics —and indirect work factors — average commute time, average hours volunteered, how many workers have more than one job and other metrics.

The financial website then evaluated those dimensions using 10 key metrics, some of which are listed above. Each metric was graded on a 100 point scale, with a score of 100 representing the hardest working.

When the numbers were tallied, Georgia finished No. 12 with a score of 50.65. The Peach State was No. 9 for direct work factors, but No. 39 for indirect work factors.

The pandemic has shaped the 2021 workplace in many ways.

“Employers will need to strike a balance between workplace needs and worker needs,” Josh Congdon-Hohman, associate professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, told WalletHub. “Though employers and employees may want to return to pre-pandemic times, the threat from the virus and new variants, along with uncertainty for those who depend on regular childcare from providers or schools, will likely mean differences in how we work together, where we work, and how we get things done. Some of these changes may be permanent as remote work does provide benefits to some workers and potential cost savings for employers. It will likely be some time after the pandemic has subsided before we find a new equilibrium in the workplace.”

So, where do Americans work the hardest? According to WalletHub, it’s in Alaska, which scored 68.63 and was No. 2 for both direct and indirect work factors.

Which state knows how to take it easy? That would be New Mexico, with a score of just 29.53.