Actual and usual hours of work

Data extracted in May 2026

Planned article update: May 2027

Highlights

In 2025, the average working week at EU level lasted 35.9 hours. This varied across the EU, from 31.9 actual hours of work in the Netherlands to 39.6 in Greece.

Among full-time employed people in the EU, men worked on average 39.4 hours per week compared with 37.6 hours for women, with differences exceeding 3 hours in Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece.

Belgium had the largest difference in usual weekly working hours between employees (35.2 hours) and own-account workers (43.2 hours).

This article highlights the main aspects of working hours for different groups of workers (e.g. men and women, part-time and full-time workers, employees and self-employed people) and across various economic activities and occupations. More specifically, it focuses on the average number of weekly actual and usual hours of work which employed people spent in their main job in 2025.

The statistics in this article are based on the EU labour force survey (EU-LFS).

Working hours vary across EU countries

In 2025, the actual weekly hours of work of European Union (EU) full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in their main job averaged 35.9 hours. This number refers to the hours people worked in their main job in the reference week (see methodological notes for the difference between actual and usual hours of work).

The average actual working hours per week differ between EU countries (see Map 1). The longest average weeks were recorded in Greece (39.6 hours), followed by Poland and Bulgaria (38.7 hours), Lithuania (38.4 hours), and Slovenia (38.3 hours). By contrast, the shortest weeks were in the Netherlands (31.9 hours), with Germany and Denmark (33.9 hours each) and Austria (34.0 hours).

Employed people by the average actual working hours in a week

In the EU, in 2025, employed people reported the following average weekly working hours in their main job (see Figure 1)

9.9% did not work in their main job during the reference week
7.2% worked between 0.5 and 19.5 hours
6.6% worked between 20 and 24.5 hours
3.4% worked between 25 and 29.5 hours
9.2% worked between 30 and 34.5 hours
16.4% worked between 35 and 39.5 hours
37.6% worked between 40 and 44.5 hours
4.0% worked between 45 and 49.5 hours
5.8% worked 50 hours or more per week

The range of 40.0–44.5 actual working hours per week represented the largest share of employed people in most countries, with the highest proportions recorded in Bulgaria (82.8%), Latvia (77.1%) and Romania (75.5%). Exceptions were observed in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France and Ireland, where the largest share of employed people worked on average between 35.0 and 39.5 hours per week.

Figure 1

In general, there is a strong consistency between actual and usual hours of work, although actual working hours tend to be lower than usual working hours. This difference can be explained by the fact that usual working hours are not affected by absences from work, whereas actual working hours in the reference week are affected by holidays, sick leaves or other kinds of absences.

A comparison of the distribution of actual and usual working hours in the main job by status in employment shows that self-employed people were more strongly represented in the higher working-hour categories (i.e. 40.0–44.5 hours and 45.0 hours or more) than employees (see Figure 2).

Among employees, the largest share worked between 40.0 and 44.5 hours per week (38.4%), while only 6.4% worked 45.0 hours or more. By contrast, among self-employed people, equal shares (32.2%) were recorded for both the 40.0–44.5 hours category and the 45.0 hours or more category.

Figure 2

Patterns in average actual working week: by full-time and part-time workers and sex

Average weekly working hours for full-time employed people in the EU differed between men and women in 2025: men worked 39.4 hours per week on average, while women worked 37.6 hours (see Figure 3).

For women, the longest working week was recorded in Slovenia (39.2 hours), followed by Lithuania (39.1 hours) and Latvia and Poland (both 38.9 hours). The shortest average working weeks for women were observed in the Netherlands (35.0 hours), Finland (35.6 hours), Ireland (35.9 hours) and Belgium (36.4 hours).

For men, only four EU countries recorded an average working week of 40 hours or more in 2025: Greece (41.8 hours), Poland (40.6 hours), Slovenia (40.2 hours) and Cyprus (40.0 hours). Men in full-time employment worked the fewest hours per week in Finland and the Netherlands (both 38.4 hours), followed by Hungary and Sweden (both 38.5 hours).

The largest differences between men and women (3 hours or more per week) were observed in Ireland, where men worked 39.9 hours per week compared with 35.9 hours for women, the Netherlands (38.4 hours for men and 35.0 hours for women), and Greece (41.8 hours for men and 38.8 hours for women). By contrast, the smallest differences between men and women, of less than 0.5 hours per week, were recorded in Latvia and Bulgaria.

Figure 3

The pattern of weekly working hours by sex differed for part-time workers. At EU level, men and women employed part time worked a similar number of hours per week on average (21.7 hours for men and 21.9 hours for women). However, in many EU countries, women working part time recorded longer average working weeks than men in the same category.

Denmark showed the largest difference between women and men employed part time, with women working on average 21.3 hours per week compared with 18.0 hours for men. By contrast, Latvia was one of the few countries where men employed part-time worked longer hours than women, averaging 21.3 hours per week compared with 20.7 hours for women.

Average actual weekly working hours by economic activity and occupation

The average length of the working week, measured in actual hours worked, varied across economic activities (NACE Rev. 2) in 2025 (see Figure 4). The longest average working weeks were recorded in Agriculture, forestry and fishing (41.2 hours), followed by Mining and quarrying (38.9 hours) and Construction (38.6 hours).

By contrast, the shortest average working weeks were observed in Activities of households as employers (27.1 hours), Education (31.8 hours) and Arts, entertainment and recreation (32.7 hours).

Figure 4

Across occupational groups classified according ISCO-08), Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers recorded the longest average working week in the EU in 2025, with 42.0 actual working hours per week, followed by Managers (40.6 hours) and Armed forces occupations (39.4 hours) (see Figure 5). By contrast, the shortest average working weeks were observed among workers in Elementary occupations (31.8 hours), Clerical support workers (34.0 hours) and Service and sales workers (34.5 hours).

Figure 5

Usual average working week of employees and self-employed people

At EU level, in 2025, self-employed people with employees (i.e. employers) recorded the longest average usual working week in their main job, at 46.4 hours, followed by self-employed people without employees (also known as ‘own-account workers’) with 39.7 hours. By comparison, employees worked an average of 36.6 usual hours per week (see Figure 6).

The longest average working weeks for employers were recorded in France (50.0 hours), Belgium (49.8 hours) and Greece (49.2 hours). Belgium also showed the largest difference in usual weekly working hours between employees (35.2 hours) and own-account workers (43.2 hours).

In many EU countries, own-account workers worked more usual hours per week than employees in 2025. However, the opposite pattern was observed in Cyprus, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania, where employees worked notably more hours than own-account workers. The largest differences were recorded in Cyprus and Latvia, where employees worked on average 5.5 and 4.5 hours per week more, respectively, than own-account workers.

Among all EU countries, the longest average working weeks for own-account workers were recorded in Greece (46.3 usual hours per week), Belgium (43.2 hours), Spain (43.1 hours) and Poland (43.0 hours). For employees, the longest average working weeks were observed in Cyprus and Romania (both 40.1 hours per week). In all other EU countries, employees worked on average fewer than 40 usual hours per week. The shortest average working weeks for employees were recorded in the Netherlands (32.1 hours), Denmark (34.1 hours) and Germany (34.6 hours).

Figure 6

Data sources

Source: The European Union Labour force survey (EU-LFS) is the largest European household sample survey providing quarterly and annual results on labour participation among people aged 15 years and over, and on people outside the labour force. It covers residents in private households. Conscripts in military or community service are not included in the results. The EU-LFS is based on the same target populations and uses the same definitions in all countries, which means that the results are comparable between countries. The EU-LFS is an important source of information about the situation and trends in national and EU labour markets. Each quarter around 1.2 million interviews are conducted throughout the participating countries to obtain statistical information for some 100 variables. Due to the diversity of information and the large sample size, the EU-LFS is also an important source for other European statistics like education statistics or regional statistics.

Reference period: Yearly results are obtained by calculating the average of the four quarters in the year.

Coverage: The results from the survey currently cover all European Union countries, the EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), as well as the candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye). For Cyprus, the survey covers only the areas of Cyprus controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.

European aggregates: EU refers to all 27 EU Member States. If data are unavailable for a country, EU aggregates are calculated using the data for the most recent period available for the country in question. Such cases are indicated.

Country notes: The Netherlands collects EU-LFS data using a rolling reference week instead of a fixed reference week, i.e. interviewees are asked about the situation in the week before the interview rather than a pre-selected week.

Definitions and main concepts

EU-LFS concepts and definitions adhere the resolutions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians held every 5 years, organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Key employment characteristics, as per the EU Labour Force Survey, include

Employees are those working for a public or private employer and who receive compensation in the form of wages, salaries, payment by results, or payment in kind; this category includes non-conscript armed forces members
Self-employed persons work in their businesses, farm or professional practice. They are considered working during the reference week if they meet criteria such as working for profit; spending time on business operations; or establishing a business
Full-time and part-time work distinction is usually based on respondents’ spontaneous responses, except in the Netherlands and Iceland, where a 35-hour limit is applied, Sweden where a limit is applied to the self-employed, and Norway where those working between 32 and 36 hours are asked whether they have a full- or part-time position
Actual hours worked in the reference week are the hours the person spends in work activities during the reference week. they provide measurement of direct labour input. Working hours are collected in time intervals based on a half-hour scale (i.e. 0-0.5 hours, 0.5-1.0 hours, 1.0-1.5 hours, etc..). Specifically, average actual weekly hours are the number of hours actually worked per week in the main job, in the reference week, namely the hours spent in work activities including unpaid overtime. Periods of absence from work, such as sick leave, holidays and commuting time, account for 0 hours of work.
Usual hours worked are the number of hours per week usually worked in the main job. They are the modal value of the actual hours worked per week over a long reference period, excluding weeks when an absence from work occurs (e.g. holidays, leaves, strikes). They provide measurement of the organisation of working time. Working hours are collected in time intervals based on a half-hour scale (i.e. 0-0.5 hours, 0.5-1.0 hours, 1.0-1.5 hours, etc..). Specifically, average usual weekly hours are the number of hours usually worked per week in the main job that comprises all hours including extra hours, either paid or unpaid, which the person normally works. It excludes the travelling time between home and workplace, the time for the main meal break, education and non-job-related training. It includes production activities, ancillary activities (travel between different places of work, personnel management), education and training necessary for carrying out the work.
Economic activity refers to that of the economic unit where the work is performed. For reference, please consult the classification NACE. In the EU-LFS, the sector ‘activities of households as employers’ excludes ‘undifferentiated goods and services producing activities of households for own use’.
Occupation: for reference, please consult the classification ISCO.

Additional methodological information

More information on the EU-LFS can be found via the online publication EU Labour Force Survey, which includes eight articles on the technical and methodological aspects of the survey. The EU-LFS methodology in force from the 2021 data collection onwards is described in EU Labour Force Survey - new methodology from 2021 onwards. Detailed information on coding lists, explanatory notes and classifications used over time can be found under EU labour force survey - documentation.

For more information on the background definitions on hours of work, please consult Topic 6 "Working conditions including working hours" from EU Labour Force Survey Explanatory Notes.

Context

Employment statistics serve various analyses, including macroeconomic (labour as a production factor), productivity or competitiveness studies. They can also be used to study a range of social and behavioural aspects related to an person's employment situation, such as the social integration of minorities, or employment as household income.

Employment is both a structural and a short-term indicator. As a structural indicator, it may shed light labour markets and economic systems’ structures, measured through labour supply and demand balance, or the quality of employment. As a short-term indicator, employment follows the business cyclebut has limitations, as employment is often seen as a lagging indicator.

Statistics on the hours of work measure working conditions as one of the dimensions of employment. The "average number of usual weekly hours of work in the main job" is an indicator providing a perspective to the organisation of working time.

Explore further

Database

Employment and unemployment (LFS)

Thematic section

Labour market including Labour force Survey (LFS)

Publications

Methodology

Publications

ESMS metadata files and EU-LFS methodology

Employment and unemployment (Labour Force Survey) (ESMS metadata file — employ_esms)
LFS main indicators (ESMS metadata file — lfsi_esms)
LFS series - detailed annual survey results (ESMS metadata file — lfsa_esms)
LFS series - detailed quarterly survey results (from 1998 onwards) (ESMS metadata file — lfsq_esms)
LFS ad-hoc modules (ESMS metadata file — lfso_esms)