Sometimes a day at work can feel endless, but you might have it easy compared to employees in other parts of the world. Here is our countdown of how many hours people spend at work every week in different countries, using data from the OECD that looks at employed and self-employed full-time and part-time workers, including their paid and unpaid overtime. Read on to find out which country does the most hours...

The fact that Germany only saw an average working week of 26.1 hours in 2017 is fitting considering recent events. In early 2018, a German union won the right to a 28-hour working week, alongside a 4.3% pay rise. While the 26.1 average is likely influenced by a workforce that is made up of 22% part-time workers, according to World Atlas, it underlines that the Germans are serious about their work-life balance.

A standard working week in Denmark is supposedly 37 hours over five days. However, in 2017, the average working week was recorded at just 27.1 hours. But this low average is likely down to part-time workers, with World Atlas reporting that 20% of workers in Denmark are part-time. What's more, only 2% of Danish workers work very long hours, according to the OECD.

Norwegians have a standard week of 37.5 hours, but including part-time workers the average working week in 2017 was just 27.3 hours. In Norway, you can also expect 25 paid days off per year, plus public holidays. However, that could be set to change, after Prime Minister Erna Solberg stated in 2018 that, if labor shortages continue, a standard 43-hour week may have to be imposed, and part-time workers may have to go full-time.

Not only did the Netherlands have a short average working week in 2017 – just 27.6 hours per week – but World Atlas reported the Netherlands to be the country with the highest percentage of part-time workers, with 51% working in part-time roles.

France famously saw a 35-hour working limit imposed in 2000, so the 29.1 working week average in 2017 is not too much of a surprise. The French government is committed to work-life balance and in 2017 workers were granted the right to ignore work-related emails that arrive after hours.

In Luxembourg the working day must not exceed 10 hours, and it has a weekly limit of 40 hours. But in 2017, workers in Luxembourg had an average working week of 29.2 hours. Luxembourgers also benefit from long holidays, receiving a very generous 32 days per year as well as national holidays on top.

In Belgium, as with many European countries, the working week has a limit of 40 hours per week, and eight hours per day. In 2017, however, the average hours worked per week only reached 29.7. Belgians have been up in arms recently over the changes to retirement age, which is set to rise from 65 to 67 in 2030. Over 50,000 trade unionists hit the streets in protest in May 2018.

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Contrary to the trend in other countries in our list, Swiss public sector workers work slightly longer hours, at 42 per week, than those in the private sector whose maximum working hours are 40 per week. That said, including all types of worker, from part-time to full-time, the average hours worked in 2017 only reached 30.2. This low figure may be down to the high percentage of part-time workers in the country, with World Atlas reporting that 27% of workers in Switzerland were not full-time.

Sweden conducted a two-year trial of reducing daily working hours to just six a day. The trial ended in 2017, with some reporting it as a great success, and others, such as those working in start-ups, lamenting that they didn't have enough time to get things done. In 2017, the average working week in Sweden was 30.9 hours, just over the trialed six hours a day.

Austria's standard week reflects the rest of Europe with a 40-hour week. But in 2017, Austrians worked an average of 31 hours, including part-time workers. But in terms of time-off they don't do too badly, with the minimum legal requirement set at five weeks off every year for full-time workers.

Employment levels are strong in Finland, with 69% of people aged 15 to 64 in paid work, which is above the OECD average. Yet Finland is a nation focused on work-life balance, and around 10% of Finns work a short week of less than 34 hours, with 50% on a normal working week of 35-40 hours. In 2017, the average week worked was 31.3 hours.

Slovenia officially follows the European 40-hour working week. But in the public sector Slovenians could work as little as 10 hours per week. In 2017, the working week was an average of 31.8 hours long.

In Australia working hours are set generally at 38 hours per week, but in 2017 on average Australians worked just 32.2 hours.

In the UK a very high 74% of people aged 15 to 64 had a paid job in 2017, which was well over the OECD's 67% average. What's more, 13% of employees in the UK work very long hours, the same as the OECD average. In 2017, the average working week lasted 32.3 hours.

As Spain still bases its working day around a two-hour siesta, you could be forgiven for thinking they have it easy. In fact, Spaniards don't typically end work until 8pm. Starting at 9am, they stop at 2pm for several hours, before they return to work and power through to 8pm. In 2016 there were calls to abandon this formula and reflect the rest of Europe. However, on average in 2017 Spaniards worked for 32.4 hours per week.

Canada has a strong level of employment, with 73% of those aged 15 to 64 in paid work, over the 67% OECD average. But Canadians don't work too long, with only 4% working very long hours in 2017, which was well under the 13% OECD average. In 2017, workers spent 32.6 hours per week working.

A nation that has historically been known for recording some of the longest working hours, Japan actually recorded 32.9 hours per week in 2017. That's a far cry from the 80 hours of overtime that a government survey reported a quarter of Japanese companies made employees work every month in 2016.

In the Slovak Republic, the average working week lasted 33 hours in 2017. Only 5% of workers work very long hours, under the OECD average of 13%.

In the Italian public sector working hours are short – typically from 8am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday – but in the private sector Italians tend to work longer, from 9am to 6pm, albeit with an hour and a half for lunch. This approach reflects reality, with the average weekly working hours at 33.1 per week in 2017. In the same year only 4% of Italians worked very long hours, under the OECD average of 13%.

The traditional working week in Ireland is 39 hours, with a legal maximum of 48 hours per week. However, in 2017 Irish workers actually spent 33.4 hours in the workplace. On top of this, Irish law states that those in full-time work should have a minimum of 20 days paid leave, as well as eight public holidays.

In Hungary the working week is generally 40 hours long, but in 2017 on average workers spent 33.5 hours working a week. However, this might be set to change after new labor laws were introduced, which saw 10,000 people take to the streets in protest against what they called a 'slave law'. The new laws were introduced in December 2018 to combat a labor shortage and mean companies can demand as much as 400 hours of annual overtime, but not pay for it until up to three years later.

New Zealand has a maximum 40-hour week over five days, and the government is encouraging employers and employees to consider work-life balance and more flexible working hours. It's an initiative that is paying off, as in 2017 New Zealanders worked just 33.7 hours per week on average

The working week in the Czech Republic is around 39 hours a week, with employers dictating how those hours are spread. Under 18s are not allowed to work more than six hours a day, or more than 30 hours a week. In 2017, the average worker was at work for 34.1 hours per week.

In America employers are obliged to pay overtime on any working week that exceeds 40 hours. The USA, however, is one of only 13 countries that does not guarantee paid time off, and it is left to employers to provide leave. On average, those who have worked five years at a company receive 15 days of vacation a year. That said, in terms of actual hours worked per week, the USA comes in under the 40-hour limit at 34.2 hours.

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Lithuania had a change of labor laws in 2017. Workers can't exceed 48 hours over seven days, and they receive 20 days of holiday every year. However, while 48 hours is the maximum, the average hours actually worked per week in 2017 reached 35.5 hours.

Estonia's working day runs from 9am to 6pm, where employees work a 40-hour week. However, according to OECD figures the average hours worked each week are actually 35.7. Estonians also benefit from generous holiday, typically receiving 28 days paid leave per year.

In Portugal work tends to start at 9am, before a two-hour break at 1pm. Work then continues until around 7pm. The legal working week is 40 hours, but the average hours actually worked a week in 2017 was 35.8.

In Latvia, 69% of people aged 15 to 64 have a paid job, which is above the 67% OECD average, but only 2% of employees work very long hours, which is considerably lower than the OECD average of 13%. Officially, Latvia has a five-day working week where employees can be expected to work a 40-hour week. But in 2017, the OECD recorded the average week as just 36 hours.

Israel's working week actually runs from Sunday to Thursday, and often includes Friday mornings. However, from 1 April 2018 the country's legal working week lost an hour, dropping from 43 hours to 42. That said, the average hours actually worked in 2017 across Israel was 36.25 hours per week.

Polish people can expect to work from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on a Saturday. After high levels of unemployment in the early to mid-2000s, with a high of 20.7% in February 2003, Poland has gradually seen the rate fall, with it sitting at 5.7% in December 2018. However, just under 7% of employees work very long hours, less than the OECD average of 13%, making the average week 36.4 hours.

Generally, a working day in Chile begins at 8.30am and ends at 6pm – although some businesses may choose not to start work until 9am. On average workers spent 37.6 hours at work in 2017.

Under Russia's labor law the working week should be no longer than 40 hours, and a high average of 38.07 hours per week in 2017 suggests that many workers are held to this. However, those who work for the state generally have a shorter week, and it has been reported that some doctors only work 8am to 3pm. In terms of holiday, Russians do well with a minimum of 28 days off per year. For those working in the Far North, or in hazardous conditions, this increases.

In 2017, Greeks worked on average a long 38.8 hours a week. This is not surprising for a country that has battled recent economic issues as it looks to recover. Business hours in Greece are generally between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, although banks work 8.30am until 2pm instead of office hours. Banks also close at 1.30pm on a Friday. Stores, however, are open from 9am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Prior to a change in the law, South Koreans had much longer working hours than they do now, which would have put them higher up this chart. The law now dictates a five-day working week of eight hours a day. However, many people end up working past their contracted hours. 

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In Costa Rica working days are split into day shifts and night shifts, with the legal maximum for a day shift lasting eight hours from 5am to 7pm, and night shifts coming in at six hours, covering 5pm to 7am. These legal boundaries allow someone to work as much as 48 hours per week, and 2017's average was a high 41.9 hours. Employees are also only entitled to two weeks holiday for every 50 weeks worked.

 

Mexico is the hardest-working nation in the world, with the average working in 2017 week lasting 43.4 hours. Working hours are generally around 8am until 6pm, but hours are decided by the employer since the labor laws in Mexico are fairly lax. However, there may be a change coming with new leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was voted in back in July 2018. And things are already looking up for the country's workers as in May this year Mexico's Congress approved a law that gave rights to domestic workers.

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