Are we working too much? A look at global working hours

In almost every organisation, tracking employee working hours goes hand in hand with plenty of other standard HR functions. Whether you use time tracking software, a clocking in and out system, or simply contract employees to work a set number of hours per week, knowing how much your employees are working is an everyday part of running an organisation.

But how do working hours compare around the world?

Which countries work the most, and which enjoy fewer hours and (potentially) a greater work-life balance because of it?

Let’s take a look at different countries around the world, thanks to available OCED data.

Which countries have the highest employee working hours?

In this data, working hours per country is calculated by dividing the number of people in employment per year by the total number of hours actually worked per year.

As of the latest available figures, which are for 2023, the country which sees the highest number of working hours per person is Mexico. The average person in Mexico can expect to work 2,207 hours per year, making it the highest of any country within the OCED (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Mexico is closely followed by Costa Rica, with 2,171 hours worked per person per year, before a slight drop to Chile, at 1,953 working hours.

Of the 35 countries included, only 9 work less than 1,500 hours per worker per year.

The United Kingdom, which has a maximum weekly limit of 48 working hours, sits in 25th position with 1,524 hours worked annually per person.

Which countries see the lowest working hours?

The country which sees the lowest number of total hours worked per person per year is Germany, at 1,343 hours.

Employees in Germany clock in a staggering 864 hours fewer than those in Mexico do, which equates to 108 eight-hour days.

Not far away is Denmark with 1,380 hours, and the Netherlands, with 1,413 hours.

Notable countries that are missing

Of course, this full list of 35 OCED countries is very limited, with a number of notable countries missing.

Namely China, which clocks in at around 2,397 hours worked per year (International Labour Organisation (ILO)).

Other non-OCED member countries include India, which racks up 2,428 working hours per person per year, Liberia at 2,480 (the highest according to ILO data), the United States at 1,976, Japan at 1,903, and Russia at 2,038 hours.

How does work-life balance play a part?

Looking at the data, there are noticeable correlations between countries which spend less time at work and their tendency to prioritise and promote work-life balance for employees.

In many European countries, it is considered the cultural norm to take ample annual leave and rest periods away from work. Some countries like Norway, Sweden, France and Italy even see employers operate ‘summer shutdowns‘ between June and August.

It’s also true that many European countries provide above average entitlements when it comes to annual leave and parental leave, as well as having strong socio-economic provisions and workplace policies that advocate for work-life balance.

Want to know more about how absence, leave, productivity and happiness varies around Europe?

Meanwhile, across China, Japan and Latin America, annual leave allowances are less generous, and weekly hours have increased in recent decades. For example, since 2015 Chinese employees have seen their weekly hours steadily rise, all the way up to 49 hours per week as of 2024.

In China, the culture of the unoffical ‘996 rule‘ – which means working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – is a factor that influences many to work as hard and as long as possible.

Heavily debated and controversial, the 996 is in fact illegal under Chinese labour laws. However, it is still practiced by many organisations operating in China, as overtime is often not compensated for (yet still encouraged).

Wherever your organisation operates from, it’s important to monitor your employees’ time. Doing so helps you to assess efficiency and productivity, but it also helps to account for overtime, sufficient break times, and whether some employees are pushing too much without adequate rest.

Taking annual leave can actually result in a 40% boost in productivity – so it pays to take time off for both the business, and your employees.