I miss that in Europe too. I guess unions & high labor cost are to blame. At least in the US you can go shopping on sunday while in most of Western Europe everything is closed. When I come back from Asia I'm always amazed at what a lazy bunch of bums we have become.
Neither of the things you mention are caused by labor costs.
European stores are closed on Sundays because the law requires them to be. It's a measure to allow mom & pop stores to compete against the WalMarts of the world while maintaining quality of life.
Construction happens during the day because people in western countries value silence, and therefore the laws are written to prevent noisy things happening during the hours that normal people are asleep. Road construction at night seems like a great idea, until it happens on the road in front of your house.
Not sure about the Europe, but most of the construction done in the US is not unionized. The specialty areas certainly are (electricians, pipe-fitting, etc.) But the structure and foundation is straight-up grunt work.
And, as told to me by a friend, half the people on the site are inspectors. You've got the guy digging the hole, you've got the county inspector, you've got an OSHA inspector, and possibly an EPA inspector and union rep. That's a lot of people to doing nothing while the guy digs that hole.
It's probably an exaggeration (we were talking at the bar) but all exaggerations are based on a bit of truth.
And with all the reports of buildings toppling in China during the last few years I'd prefer the job be done right than done fast.
I used to think that shopping on a Sunday was a "Good Thing" until I lived somewhere where I can't. Almost all shops are closed on a Sunday. If you need food there are a few supermarkets open.
What I found that after a few months of adjustment, the shops being closed on a Sunday was a good thing - people don't automatically gravitate to shopping. They do other, more relaxed stuff, like meeting friends or relaxing. It's a bizarre case of less choice is good.
