Why and where are weekly working hours dropping in Europe?

Workers successful Europe person been gradually putting successful less hours. Over nan past 10 years, nan mean clip spent moving per week has declined by 1 hr successful nan EU. In astir half of 34 European countries, nan driblet was moreover greater — much than 1 hr betwixt 2014 and 2024. Weekly moving hours besides alteration importantly crossed nan continent.

So, successful which European countries do group walk nan astir clip astatine nan grindstone? How has existent moving clip changed crossed nan region? And what could beryllium nan imaginable reasons down this decline?

According to Eurostat, successful 2024, nan existent play moving hours for some full-time and part-time workers aged 20 to 64 successful their main occupation ranged from 32.1 hours successful nan Netherlands to 39.8 hours successful Greece. When including EU campaigner countries, EFTA members, and nan UK, nan highest fig was recorded successful Turkey (43.1), wherever mean play moving clip exceeded 43 hours.

Geographical trends: Southern and Eastern Europe apical nan list

People successful Southern and Eastern European countries thin to activity longer hours, pinch peculiarly precocious figures successful EU campaigner countries. Following Turkey, which tops nan database astatine 43.1 hours, are Serbia (41.3) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (41.1). Montenegro hasn't reported information for 2024, though its moving hours came to 42.8 successful 2020.

The adjacent countries successful nan ranking besides beryllium to nan aforesaid region: Greece (39.8) and Bulgaria (39). North Macedonia, which only has information spanning up to 2020, besides recorded a play moving full of 39 hours.

These countries mostly person little wages, higher informal employment, and little part-time work.

Western and Northern European countries mostly person shorter activity weeks. Countries for illustration nan Netherlands (32.1), Norway (33.7), and Austria and Denmark (33.9) each study importantly less play moving hours. These regions are characterized by beardown labour protections, higher productivity, and wide usage of part-time and elastic activity arrangements.

Among Europe’s largest economies, nan UK and Spain (both astatine 36.4 hours) and Italy (36.1) study nan highest mean moving times, each supra nan EU average. However, nan UK information dates backmost to 2019, truthful nan existent fig whitethorn beryllium little today, fixed nan wide downward inclination successful moving hours.

How did moving times alteration successful nan past 10 years?

When comparing play moving hours successful 2014 and 2024, only 4 retired of 34 countries saw an increase. In 3 of these countries, nan emergence was minimal: Lithuania and Cyprus (both by 12 minutes), and Malta (6 minutes). Serbia was nan exception, pinch a important summation of 1.7 hours — 1 hr 42 minutes.

Weekly moving clip remained unchanged successful France, while nan alteration was little than half an hr successful Italy, Sweden, and Latvia.

Over one-hour diminution successful astir half of nan countries

In 16 retired of 34 countries, play moving clip fell by much than 1 hr — exceeding 2 hours successful immoderate cases.

Iceland (3.5 hours) intimately followed Turkey (3.8 hours) astatine nan top. Belgium and Luxembourg besides recorded important declines, pinch a simplification of 2.5 hours each successful play moving time.

In a further 7 countries, play moving hours declined by 1.5 hours aliases more. These see Denmark and Austria (both 1.9), Germany (1.8), Estonia (1.7), Czechia (1.6), and Portugal and Croatia (1.5).

Reasons down diminution successful moving hours

Scholars and experts person been examining nan reasons down nan diminution successful play moving hours, offering various explanations. A caller moving insubstantial published by nan European Commission analysed activity clip trends successful six EU countries betwixt 1992 and 2022. Sergio Torrejón Pérez and his colleagues recovered that:

• Decline successful moving clip is chiefly linked to nan increasing prevalence of non-standard forms of work, chiefly part-time work.

• Part-time jobs person grown mostly because much women are moving and because much jobs are successful work industries.

• Full-time workers are moving much aliases little nan aforesaid magnitude of hours arsenic successful nan 1980s.

• Self-employed group are moving less hours complete clip because much of them are moving part-time. Even so, they are still moving nan longest hours connected average.

Rise successful part-time activity and female labour unit participation

A insubstantial published by nan European Central Bank analysed moving clip successful nan euro area from 1995 to 2020. Vasco Botelho and his colleagues emphasised that nan diminution successful hours contributed per worker is simply a semipermanent trend.

One logic is that technological advancement complete nan past 150 years has transformed nan quality of work.

They recovered that different cardinal factors see nan rising stock of part-time employment, and nan summation successful female labour unit participation, which is besides intimately linked to nan maturation of part-time work. 

Part-time activity mostly voluntary

The diminution successful moving clip is driven by some request and supply-side factors, according to nan ECB report. Most part-time workers take this statement voluntarily, opting to activity less hours than full-time employees. In nan wide sample, astir 10% of workers reported that they would for illustration to activity much hours than they presently do.

Another moving insubstantial from nan IMF by Diva Astinova and her colleagues besides recovered that declines successful existent moving hours lucifer declines successful desired moving hours successful Europe.

“Increased income and wealthiness is apt to beryllium nan main unit down nan diminution successful desired and existent hours worked,” they suggested.

In different words, researchers projected that group consciousness little of a financial propulsion to put successful much hours.