The actual weekly working hours of EU full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in their main job averaged 35.9 hours in 2025, down from 36.9 hours in 2015.
According to the EU’s statistics agency Eurostat, the longest working weeks in EU countries were recorded in Greece (39.6 hours), Bulgaria and Poland (both 38.7) and Lithuania (38.4). By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working week (31.9 hours), followed by Denmark and Germany (both 33.9) and Austria (34.0).
The occupations with the longest working week in the EU were skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers (42.0 actual working hours), managers (40.6) and armed forces occupations (39.4). Conversely, the shortest working weeks were recorded in elementary occupations (31.8), clerical support workers (34.0) and service and sales workers (34.5).
