Carlos Slim, Second Richest Man On Earth, Predicts Shorter Work Week In The Future [Video]
Calling Carlos Slim lazy would be a difficult case to make. The Mexican billionaire vacillates back-and-forth with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates for the title of richest man in the world, give or take a few hundred million of their $80 billion-plus fortunes. However, that hasn’t kept Slim from thinking progressively about the future, and what it could mean for the average man’s work week.
In a recent interview with CNN, Carlos stated that he believes an 11-hour, three-day work week will eventually replace the five-day version most workers in the developed world currently follow.
“You should have more time for you during all of your life — not when you’re 65 and retired. I am sure [that a three-day work week] will happen.”
But Slim adds that he isn’t simply making populist gestures: He doesn’t really want to lower the amount of time people spend working over the course of their lives. Carlos believes that a three-day work week would allow people to work further into old age, retiring at 75 instead of today’s more traditional 65. Slim’s rationale banks on the amount of knowledge workers are able to accrue over their lifetime, which he says makes them more productive members of the workforce the older that they become.
“It’s a society of knowledge and experience. You have better experience and knowledge when you are 60, 65 and 70… [I believe that] machines should work 24 hours and services should work as much as possible, everything should work more… but you should have more time for you during all your life, not when you are 65 when you retire… You will have more time meant everyday for entertainment, for family, for quality of your life. But also to train and find a better job.”
In addition to being one of richest men in the world, Carlos is also known as one of the philanthropic. Slim has made pledges in the past to make internet more widespread across Mexico, in addition to hiring disabled workers and donating billions of dollars into his own Carlos Slim Foundation. Some of the world’s other richest men have signed a pledge to donate at least half of their fortune to charitable causes, including Gates and Warren Buffett. Carlos has, however, refused to sign the agreement, saying that he does not need to commit in order to give back to the community.
Perhaps Carlos Slim’s largest source of income is through America Móvil, the telecom company that he owns and operates throughout Latin America. Due to anti-monopoly laws passed earlier this year in Mexico, Slim has been forced to sell off some of his assets in order to meet the newest market share requirements, reported CNN.
[Images via Flickr]
