Survey: Japanese service workers less productive

A new survey highlights a problem that's long been a burden for Japanese employees... long working hours.

It shows people in the country's service industry are half as productive as their counterparts in the United States.

The Japan Productivity Center compared the amount of services a worker produces per hour in 5 industrialized countries.

The calculations are based on working hours in 2015 at retailers, restaurants and other businesses in the service sector.

It determined that Japanese workers have the lowest productivity, generating only about half as much as an employee in the top-ranking US.

The center cites long working hours as one of the problems. That includes 24-hour operations at many businesses. They also note that companies offer high-quality services for relatively low prices.

Experts say Japan's service industry needs to improve efficiency by introducing IT.