Greece has once again topped the European Union in average weekly working hours, according to new data released by Eurostat for the second quarter of 2025.
The report shows that 20.9% of employed Greeks aged 20–64 worked more than 45 hours per week in their main and secondary jobs — nearly double the EU average of 10.8%. The figure underscores Greece’s persistent challenge of long working hours, which have remained well above European norms despite broader discussions about work–life balance.
Greece was followed by Cyprus (16.6%) and Malta (14.6%), while the shortest working weeks were reported in Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%), and Romania (5.9%).
Across the EU, most workers — around 72.3% — clocked between 20 and 44 hours per week, with the highest proportion in Bulgaria (92.8%), Romania (90.6%), and Latvia (86.9%). Meanwhile, part-time employment (up to 19 hours per week) accounted for 16.9% of total jobs across the bloc, led by the Netherlands (26.8%), Denmark (25.5%), and Austria (25.3%).
At the other end of the spectrum, Greece once again recorded one of the lowest rates of part-time work at just 6.1%, showing a labour market still dominated by long working hours and full-time employment.
(Source: Eurostat)
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