Within the EU, the actual length of the workweek ranges from 31.9 hours in the Netherlands to 39.6 hours in Greece.
The Balkans lead in terms of working hours
When EU candidate countries are included, the highest figure reaches 42.4 hours in Turkey. It is followed by two other candidate countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (40.9 hours) and Serbia (40.6 hours).
Next come Greece (39.6 hours), North Macedonia (39.5 hours), and Bulgaria (38.7 hours).
In all the Baltic countries, working hours exceed the EU average. In Latvia, the average workweek is 37.9 hours; in Lithuania, 38.4 hours; and in Estonia, 36.2 hours, according to the Latvian news portal Delfi.lv, citing Euronews Business.
The Netherlands has the shortest workweek
People there work just 31.9 hours per week.
Part-time workers account for nearly 43% of the workforce—far more than in any other EU country. In addition, the country has one of the shortest average workweeks. However,working hoursfor full-time employees are still close to 40 hours per week.
Germany, Norway, and Denmark follow, each with 33.9 hours per week. Average working hours are also less than 35 hours per week in Austria (34.0 hours), Belgium (34.3 hours), and Finland (34.7 hours).
Germany has the shortest workweek among the four largest EU economies—33.9 hours. In France, it is 35.6 hours; in Italy, 36.1 hours; and in Spain, 36.3 hours.
In other countries, the average workweek is: 38.7 hours in Poland, 38.2 hours in Romania, 37.5 hours in the Czech Republic, 37.4 hours in Hungary, 35.9 hours in Switzerland, 35.4 hours in Sweden, and 35.1 hours in Ireland.
What is the reason forthese differences?
In countries where labor unions are stronger, working hours are shorter.
Stronger collective bargaining agreements are also associated with stricter compliance with labor laws.
The higher the proportion of part-time workers, the shorter the average workweek tends to be.
The structure of the economy is also important. The balance of different sectors within a country affects the average workweek, as some sectors require longer working hours than others.
