The proportion of European Union workers spending 49 hours or more weekly in their main jobs fell to 6.6% in 2024, down from 9.8% a decade earlier, official EU statistics showed on Thursday.
The data, covering employed people aged 20 to 64, indicates a continuing downward trend in extended working hours across the bloc. The figure also represents a decline from 8.4% recorded in 2019.
Greece recorded the highest share of workers with long hours at 12.4%, followed by Cyprus at 10.0% and France at 9.9%. At the opposite end of the scale, Bulgaria reported the lowest rate at 0.4%, with Latvia at 1.0% and Lithuania at 1.4%.
Self-employed workers report significantly higher overtime rates
Employment status emerged as a significant factor in working hour patterns. Self-employed individuals worked long hours at a rate of 27.5%, substantially higher than the 3.4% recorded among employees.
Agricultural and management sectors top long-hours rankings
Analysis by occupational groups, based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO), revealed sector-specific variations in extended working time.
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers recorded the highest proportion of long working hours at 26.2% of all employed people in that occupation group. Managers followed at 21.1%.
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