When your labor force makes gains in productivity you can choose to do one of two things:

1. Reduce working hours 2. Grow the economy

Guess which option was last picked in 1868 and never again despite massive gains in productivity?

Are we really so sure that reducing working hours can't, itself, lead to improved economic health? Such as by increasing distribution of income flows, and increasing time available for economic consumption?

One of the greatest tricks of the modern era in the US has been to convince everyone that making the slice of pie bigger for the richest people is necessary to grow the economy.