Spain is the largest EU economy with the longest working hours.

BrusselsIn Spain, people work longer hours than in the rest of the European Union and the eurozone countries. In the midst of the debate on the reduction of working hours in Spain, a report by Eurostat—the European Commission's statistical institute—published this Wednesday indicates that, based on data from 2024, employees aged 20 to 64 in Spain work an average of 36.4 hours per week, four-tenths more than the EU as a whole (it remains at 36 hours).

Spanish employees also work more hours per week than in the rest of the major economies of the European Union, such as Germany, France, and Italy. In Germany, the average is less than 34 hours per week; in France, it is 35.8 hours; and in Italy, it is 36.1 hours. However, in Spain, fewer hours are worked than in other southern EU countries: in Greece, the average rises to almost 39.8 hours per week, and in Portugal, 37.5.

Along the same lines, Eastern European countries generally work longer hours than Spain. For example, in Poland and Romania, employees average almost 39 hours a week, and in the Czech Republic, around 38 hours. Croatia and Slovenia also work around 38 hours a week. In contrast, in Serbia and Turkey, which are not part of the European Union, the number of hours rises to 41 and 43, respectively.

However, this number of hours contrasts with the averages recorded in Nordic countries. In Norway, for example, the figure is around 34 hours per week, and in Sweden and Finland it is around 35. They also work less than in Spain and in the European Union as a whole in countries such as Belgium, where the number of weekly hours is around 34 and a half, or in the Netherlands, where it is only 3.

It's worth noting that the number of weekly hours varies substantially depending on the professional sector. The sectors in which people work the most, by far, are farming and fishing, both in Spain and in the EU as a whole. In fact, it's the only sector where the average weekly average exceeds 40 hours. Just below that are miners and workers in the transport and construction sectors, who work around 38 hours per week. Conversely, education, healthcare, the arts, and administration are the sectors where people work the fewest hours, averaging below 35.

Fewer online meetings than the European average

Companies across the European Union are increasingly reducing face-to-face meetings and opting to meet remotely. In Spain, the percentage of companies with more than ten employees that hold meetings via video calls is lower than the rate recorded in the overall community blog, according to another report published this Wednesday. 5, 9 are taking advantage of this technology to avoid unnecessary travel, while across the European Union this rate is slightly lower and stands at 52.9% , which is also reached by Denmark. In other Member States, such as Belgium or Germany, the rate is also particularly high and reaches 70% and 61%, on the contrary, in Hungary (33.52%) these percentages do not exceed 35%.