Greece Records Longest Average Work Week in the EU in 2024

This figure places Greece at the top of the EU rankings for weekly working time. 

Bulgaria followed in second place with 39.0 hours. Poland ranked third with 38.9 hours, while Romania was close behind in fourth place with 38.8 hours.

Eurostat noted that in Bulgaria, actual weekly working hours remained unchanged compared to 2023.

Across the EU, the average for workers aged 20 to 64, including both full-time and part-time employment, stood at 36.0 hours per week.

This figure represents a slight decrease from 36.1 hours in 2023 and a more marked decline compared to 37.0 hours in 2014.

At the opposite end of the scale, the Netherlands recorded the shortest working week with an average of 32.1 hours.

Denmark, Germany, and Austria followed, each with an average of 33.9 hours.

Sectors with the longest weekly working hours in the EU were agriculture, forestry and fishing at 41.2 hours.

Mining and quarrying followed with 38.8 hours, and construction with 38.7 hours.

By contrast, the sectors with the shortest average weekly hours included households as employers at 26.7 hours, education at 31.9 hours, and the arts, entertainment and recreation at 32.9 hours.

Source: Reuters