Working 9 to 5 - full-time fools On the rare occasion that full-time desk hounds are allowed outside during the week, they often return surprised at the number of people roaming the streets. Who are all those people and what do they do? The reality, however, is that those silly enough to work for a living can be in the minority in many countries. Take the latest household survey data released on Friday in America. In September, the US employment to population ratio was 58.7 per cent. Of those who classify themselves as employed, a quarter work on a part-time basis - presumably spending some of that free time walking around. Americans also receive between eight-11 days of "sick leave" a year. Add to that those people popping downstairs for lunch, coffee or a smoke. No wonder so many shops are happy to shut at 5pm.