Full-time workers’ work weeks and years vary widely from nation to country. The typical full-time work week is around 40 hours in certain nations, but it may reach over 50 hours in others.
This is the case as a result of the differences in workplace regulations and norms. Work-life balance is a significant focus in several nations, as seen by legislation and customs that favor employees.
Working parents typically benefit from reduced workweeks, more vacation time, and other accommodative measures.
These nations workforces report greater levels of life satisfaction and lower stress levels. However, other nations have longer workweeks, resulting in poorer life satisfaction and a workforce more likely to get exhausted.
If an employee is constantly overworked, he or she is more likely to make errors, provide substandard work, or be less productive. Even though organizations and managers typically desire their top workers to take on additional work, overworking them may harm their performance.
It’s also possible that workers are overworked due to working overtime to make finances meet.
Countries with the Highest Levels of Overwork
Working hours in the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) member nations were measured. The total hours worked each year are divided by the average number of persons employed each year, which yields the average yearly number of hours.
Actual hours worked comprise normal work hours of full-time, part-time, and part-year employees, paid and unpaid overtime, and hours done in extra jobs, but omit any time not worked due to vacations, illness or maternity leave, study or training, or other causes.
Based on average yearly hours worked, below are the 10 most overworked nations globally. The information used comes from a year ago, in 2018.
1. Mexico
Mexico is the most overworked nation globally, with an average yearly workday of 2,148 hours. A full-time employee in Mexico clocks in at roughly 48.5 hours per week.
Moreover, a quarter of Mexican workers clock in more than 50 hours a week. Only $16,298 per year is earned by the typical American worker.
2. Costa Rica
The average number of hours worked per year in Costa Rica is 2,121. The average full-time workweek in Costa Rica is 0.6 hours longer than in Mexico, at 48.6.
3. South Korea
As a nation, South Korea ranks as the third busiest globally. The average year for a South Korean worker is 1,993 hours.
In 2018, the South Korean government passed legislation reducing the weekly maximum number of working hours from 68 to 40, with an additional 12 hours of pay for labor performed over the 40-hour mark.
4. Russia
According to the World Economic Forum, they are the fourth most overworked people on Earth. The average yearly working time in Russia is 1,972 hours.
5. Greece
The typical person in Greece puts in 1,956 hours of labor throughout the year. The typical full-time workweek is 41.5 hours long, with 6.4% of workers clocking in at or over the 50-hour mark.
6. Chile
Santiago, Chile, is the sixth most overworked country in the world. Chilean employees put in an average of 1,941 hours per year at their job. Working more than 50 hours a week is the norm for 9.7 percent of full-time workers.
7. Israel
The yearly average number of hours worked in Israel is 1,901.13 hours. Full-time workers in Israel work an average of 44.4 hours each week. Almost one-fifth of workers clock in more than 50 hours each week.
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8. Czech Republic
Approximately 1,792 hours are worked per year by the Czech Republic’s workforce. 5.7 percent of the workforce works more than 50 hours per week. In the Czech Republic, the yearly median pay is about $26,962.
9. Poland
On average, Polish workers put in 1,792 hours of labor every year. Full-time workers in Poland typically put in 40.9 hours a week at their jobs. More than six percent of workers clock in more than 50 hours every week.
10. The United States
Averaging 1,786 hours of labor each year, finishing in the top 10 of the most overworked nations in the United States. 11.1 percent of workers in the United States clock in more than 50 hours a week.
Listed below are the 10 countries with the most overworked populations:
- Mexico (2148 work hours per year)
- Costa Rica (2121 work hours per year)
- South Korea (1993 work hours per year)
- Russia (1972 work hours per year)
- Greece (1956 work hours per year)
- Chile (1941 work hours per year)
- Israel (1910.13 work hours per year)
- Poland (1792 work hours per year)
- Czech Republic (1792 work hours per year)
- United States (1786 work hours per year)
Country | Hours 2018 | Hours 2017 | Hours 2016 | % Change | 2022 Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 2148 | 2148 | 2146 | 0.0930 | 131562.7720 |
Costa Rica | 2121 | 2178.9000 | 2204.7000 | -3.7960 | 5182.3540 |
South Korea | 1993 | 2018 | 2068 | -3.6270 | 51329.8990 |
Russia | 1972 | 1980 | 1974 | -0.1010 | 145805.9470 |
Greece | 1956 | 1956 | 1942 | 0.7210 | 10316.6370 |
Chile | 1941 | 1954 | 1974 | -1.6720 | 19250.1950 |
Israel | 1910.1300 | 1917.9800 | 1922.0800 | -0.6220 | 8922.8920 |
Czech Republic | 1792 | 1784 | 1779 | 0.7310 | 10736.7840 |
Poland | 1792 | 1815 | 1836 | -2.3970 | 37739.7850 |
United States | 1786 | 1780 | 1781 | 0.2810 | 334805.2690 |
Ireland | 1782 | 1738 | 1739 | 2.4730 | 5020.1990 |
New Zealand | 1756 | 1753 | 1752 | 0.2280 | 4898.2030 |
Estonia | 1748 | 1792 | 1791 | -2.4010 | 1321.9100 |
Hungary | 1741.1000 | 1741.3000 | 1760 | -1.0740 | 9606.2590 |
Italy | 1722.6000 | 1719 | 1721.7000 | 0.0520 | 60262.7700 |
Portugal | 1722 | 1727 | 1725 | -0.1740 | 10140.5700 |
Canada | 1708 | 1695 | 1706 | 0.1170 | 38388.4190 |
Spain | 1701 | 1690.2000 | 1701.5000 | -0.0290 | 46719.1420 |
Latvia | 1699 | 1695 | 1709 | -0.5850 | 1848.8370 |
Slovakia | 1698 | 1714 | 1740 | -2.4140 | 5460.1930 |
Japan | 1680 | 1709 | 1714 | -1.9840 | 125584.8380 |
Australia | 1665.0400 | 1674.9000 | 1673.4000 | -0.5000 | 26068.7920 |
Lithuania | 1616 | 1608 | 1644 | -1.7030 | 2661.7080 |
Slovenia | 1602.8000 | 1621.7000 | 1652.9000 | -3.0310 | 2078.0340 |
Switzerland | 1561 | 1570 | 1589.7000 | -1.8050 | 8773.6370 |
Finland | 1555 | 1556 | 1560 | -0.3210 | 5554.9600 |
Belgium | 1545 | 1545 | 1545 | 0 | 11668.2780 |
United Kingdom | 1538 | 1543 | 1545 | -0.4530 | 68497.9070 |
France | 1520 | 1522 | 1526 | -0.3930 | 65584.5180 |
Austria | 1511 | 1511 | 1512 | -0.0660 | 9066.7100 |
Luxembourg | 1506 | 1507 | 1513 | -0.4630 | 642.3710 |
Sweden | 1474 | 1470 | 1482 | -0.5400 | 10218.9710 |
Iceland | 1469 | 1483 | 1494 | -1.6730 | 345.3930 |
Netherlands | 1433 | 1435 | 1438 | -0.3480 | 17211.4470 |
Norway | 1416.4000 | 1419.1000 | 1424.4000 | -0.5620 | 5511.3700 |
Denmark | 1392 | 1405 | 1412 | -1.4160 | 5834.9500 |
Germany | 1362.6000 | 1360.4000 | 1362.8000 | -0.0150 | 83883.5960 |