By ANNA TEO

Here's a world-leading pole position for Singapore that probably explains quite a bit of its dismal productivity record of late.

Beavering away doggedly, Singaporeans may not be aware that they have, for the past two years, overtaken the industrious South Koreans in notching up the highest number of hours worked per year, worldwide.

Clocking 2,307 work hours in 2009 - a number that apparently has stayed constant since 1992, according to The Conference Board's data - the average Singaporean surpassed the other East Asians, the most hardworking globally.

Going by The Conference Board's Total Economy Database - which carries 'annual working hours' for 51 countries dating from 1950 - the South Koreans had been the undisputed workhorse world champions for three decades, ever since they overtook the previous leaders, the Taiwanese, in 1975. The Koreans and Taiwanese were clocking well over 2,700 hours a year for years.

But - as is the trend worldwide - annual working hours have fallen over the decades, including Korea's.

Singapore's 'constant' 2,307 annual hours exceeded Korea's in 2008. For 2009, Korea's 2,259 work hours fell behind even Hong Kong's 2,287 hours. Taiwan clocked in at 2,156 hours, while Japan's 1,722 is close to the US level (1,742 hours).

Apart from the East Asians, virtually everyone else (except Greece, Chile and Mexico) put in fewer than 2,000 hours a year, with many well under.

For Singapore, the long hours - especially in a year of poor output such as 2009 - would explain its recent poor productivity figures.

Source: The Conference Board Total Economy Database, Jan 2010

The Conference Board study - which covers various economic indicators for more than 120 economies - tracks productivity by two measures: GDP per person employed and GDP per hour worked.

The Conference Board - a Washington-based research organisation - says GDP per hour is the preferred measure of labour productivity because it measures labour intensity more adequately.

With productivity 'growth' of minus 14.2 per cent in 2009 (in GDP per employee terms), Singapore has the poorest number not only in Asia but worldwide. Average productivity growth across East Asia and the Pacific in 2009 was 2.4 per cent, and minus one per cent worldwide.

The global decline in productivity in 2009 is the first negative in almost two decades, The Conference Board notes.

Still, Singapore's 2009 labour productivity level is 75 per cent of the US level in the same year - below only Australia (84.5 per cent) and Hong Kong (90.5 per cent) in Asia.

Meanwhile, the qualitative measure - total factor productivity (TFP) which takes into account not just labour inputs but also workforce skills, machinery and IT capital - is no better for Singapore.

After some fairly good strides over the decade - as high as almost 7 per cent in 2004 - Singapore's TFP growth plunged from 3.9 per cent in 2007 to minus 4.9 per cent in 2008.

Still, just on the working hours measure, Singaporeans can have some consolation. Apparently, back in 1950, people here used to clock 2,520 hours a year, when total output was far lower. Annual work hours have fallen steadily through the years, down to 2,307 by 1992.

This article was first published in The Business Times.