The Greeks continue to hold the scepter in terms of the hours they work, compared to the rest of the European workers. Based on the latest Eurostat figures, in 2023 men with full-time employment they worked an average of 39.8 hours per week, with women working an average of 37.8 hours.

Especially as far as women are concerned, the most weekly working hours are recorded in Romania (39.5 hours), followed by Lithuania (39.4 hours) and Greece (39.3 hours). On the other side, the fewer hours they worked women in the Netherlands (35.2 hours per week), Finland (35.7 hours) and Ireland (36.5 hours).

As far as men are concerned, based on Eurostat data, it occurs in 7 European countries working week of more than 40 days with Greece to be in first place with 42.5 hours of work. Cyprus (41.3 hours) and Poland (41.1 hours) follow. The fewest hours, on the other hand, seem to have been worked in Finland and Luxembourg (38.4 hours) but also in the Netherlands and Sweden (38.8 hours).

At part time job however women worked more hours on a weekly basis. With the average for both sexes, at European Union level, being 22 hours per week, Denmark stands out for the large difference between men and women (they worked 18.3 hours and 20.9 hours on a weekly basis, respectively ).

The most “hard working” industries

The activities with the most hours of work per week in the EU as a whole are: agriculture, forestry, fishing (41.5 hours), mining and quarrying (39.1) and construction (38.9). On the other hand, the fewest hours are found among domestic workers (26.7 hours), among those engaged in education (31.9) and in the arts and entertainment (33 hours).