According to Eurostat’s Labor Force survey, out of the 28 countries of the European Union, the actual working time of full-time salaried employees in 2013 was the weakest in Finland (1,648 hours) and in France (1,661 hours) and was the highest in Greece (2,010 hours) and in Romania (2,099 hours).

In 2012, we published a set of previously unpublished data on the actual annual working time in countries of the European Union. Calculated by Eurostat at our request, using individual results of the Labour Force Surveys, the data reflects the time actually devoted to production, taking into account non-working periods. We present in a new document (in french) the updated results for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 as well as additional data requested from Eurostat. The latest surveys support all of our previous conclusions.

Out of the 28 countries of the European Union, the actual working time of full-time salaried employees in 2013 was the weakest in Finland (1,648 hours) and in France (1,661 hours) and was the highest in Greece (2,010 hours) and in Romania (2,099 hours).

For part-time employees, the actual average working time in 2013, was the weakest in Portugal (808 hours) and in Denmark (843 hours) and the highest in Hungary (1146 hours) and in Romania (1272 hours). Lastly, in 2013, for full-time non-salaried workers, the actual average annual working time among the 28 European countries was the lowest in Bulgaria (1,744 hours) and in Estonia (2,005 hours) and was the highest in Austria (2,479 hours) and in Belgium (2,659 hours). In all the European Union countries, the non-salaried work longer than the salaried, but in noticeably different proportions (+27% in Germany, +43% in France).

We are also publishing, for France and Germany, the first available data on the actual average working time of full-time salaried employees by business sector. In both countries the actual working time of full-time employees is the highest in the agricultural sector and the market services sector. The actual average annual working time is weaker in France in all business sectors but especially in the non-market sector (a difference of 218 hours between France and Germany).