European Working Hours Vary Widely: Netherlands Shortest at 31.9 Hours, Turkey Longest at 42.4 Hours
New Eurostat data shows significant variation in average weekly working hours across Europe, ranging from 31.9 hours in the Netherlands to 42.4 hours in Turkey. The EU average is 35.9 hours per week for workers aged 20-64 in their main job, with Balkan and Eastern European countries generally recording longer hours than Northern and Western European nations. Experts attribute differences to factors including union strength, collective bargaining, employment structures, and productivity levels.
According to the latest Eurostat figures, European workers experience markedly different working hour expectations depending on their country. Within the EU, the Netherlands has the shortest average working week at 31.9 hours, while Greece leads EU members at 39.6 hours. When including EU candidate countries and EFTA members, Turkey records the longest at 42.4 hours, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina at 40.9 hours and Serbia at 40.6 hours. Among the EU's four largest economies, Germany has the shortest week at 33.9 hours, while Spain has the longest at 36.3 hours. Experts cite multiple explanations for these disparities: the strength of trade unions and collective bargaining (particularly in Germany and the Netherlands), the prevalence of part-time work (43% in the Netherlands versus lower rates elsewhere), and broader economic and productivity differences between regions. Northern and Western European countries consistently show shorter working weeks than their Eastern and Central European counterparts.
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- EuronewsCenter
Who works the hardest in Europe? The countries with the longest and shortest working weeks
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