The reason you get the impression that countries like Portugal or Greece prioritize leisure is that you spend your vacations there and mostly interact with the wealthier residents. The relaxed Greek pensioner who speaks fluent English may appear to be middle class by your standards, but is actually a member of the elite. The actual average Greek is the one who is busting their butts off mopping the pristine facade of your Santorini Airbnb.

Portugal actually has one of the longer working hours in the EU. Despite the reputation that Greeks are lazy, they actual work the longest. If the upper classes of these nations worked harder, they would create more higher-skill jobs for the average resident, so they wouldn't have to resort to working menial jobs for longer hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_a...