How long is an average German work day?
An average working week in Germany as a full-time employee is between 36 and 40 hours, with working days in Germany between 7 and 8 hours.
Standard hours in Germany
Monday to Saturday are considered the legal working days, but most employees typically work from Monday to Friday. Workdays usually start between 8-9 am and finish between 5-6 pm.
On average, a full-time employee in Germany works 1,573 hours per year or 32.77 hours per week.
Depending on whether you're an hourly or salaried employee, your typical worked hours in a day might vary on a weekly or even daily basis. However, the nation's average of hours worked per day is a solid 8.5 hours, while the weekend days average landed at 5.4 hours.
In the end, scientists generally agree that the ideal daily working time is around 6 hours, and more concentrated in the morning.
Full-time work in Germany
The majority of full-time jobs in Germany are seven or eight hours a day, five days a week, with an hour or 30 minutes' break at lunchtime. Some companies may operate a longer working week, but compensate their employees with a higher salary or additional annual holiday leave.
Iceland. Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland led one of the largest 4-day workweek pilots to date, with close to 2,500 people participating. The trial was considered an “overwhelming success” among researchers, with employees reporting improved well-being, work-life balance and productivity.
Employees | Employed People | |
---|---|---|
Rank | Country | Work Week Hours |
1 | Mauritania | 54 |
2 | Egypt | 51 |
3 | Gambia | 51 |
When countries outside of the EU are considered, Turkey, which straddles south-east Europe and western Asia, has the longest working week, clocking up a staggering 49.4 hours per week on average. Full-time employees in Iceland meanwhile, work 44.4 hours per week on average.
Weekly working hours in Germany is below European average
With 34.7 weekly working hours in 2021, Germany was somewhat below the European average (37.0 hours). Persons employed in Serbia worked particularly long hours (43.0 hours), while the Netherlands showed the lowest value with 31.2 hours per week.
What country works the least hours?
The Netherlands has the shortest average workweek, with the Dutch working an average of 29.5 hours per week.
An 8-hour shift is a global norm that full-time employees are required to work daily, 5 days per week, for the total hours worked per week to equal 40, according to the same norm.

Netherlands. According to government data, at only 29 hours per week, Netherlands has one of the shortest average work weeks in the world. The country ends up having 4-Day work week despite not having official rules for it.
The 9-to-5 workday used to be standard for all employees, but that's quickly changing. Freelancing and self-employment are on the rise, and there's been a rapid shift toward remote work. According to Gallup, at least 45% of full-time employees work remotely at least part of the time.
It's important to recognize that there can be negative health concerns that come with working a 12 hour shift. Consistently working long shifts can contribute to sleep disorders, obesity and chronic fatigue. It can be difficult to get enough sleep or stick to a regular sleep schedule.
In the old days, many businesses had working lunches. People brought lunch to the office, and they worked while they ate. 9AM to 5PM meant eight working hours, including lunch. It is quite common now to have an hour “off” from work to eat lunch wherever one wishes to.
When a German is at work, they are focused and diligent, which in turn leads to higher productivity in a shorter period of time. Germans work hard and play hard. Since the working day is focused on delivering efficient productivity, the off hours are truly off hours.
According to the Federal Holidays Act, all employees in Germany with a 5-day week are entitled to a minimum of 20 vacation days per year. Most collective agreements, however, include entitlements to larger numbers of days.
The short-time work allowance according to the German Social Code III can be used in the case of a temporary reduction of regular working hours in a company due to a significant reduction in production or services. Reduction of working time needs to be temporary and unavoidable.
Working Hours in Germany
Employees are allowed to work up to 10 hours per day, as long as the total weekly work time is not longer than 48 hours.
Which country has 6 day work week?
6 Days Work Week
Countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea have a high number of average work hours per year.
Today there is more than a few examples of companies which already have a 6 hour workday in Sweden, and the notion of a trend towards a six-hour workday has also been mentioned. Since 2002 there is a workplace with a 6 hour workday in the small town of Mölndal.
American workers spend more time on the clock than employees in other developed countries, and it adds up: U.S. workers typically put in 400 more hours on the job every year compared to our counterparts in Germany. A new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which is a U.N.
Canada is famed for its excellent access to healthcare, good nationwide wealth, public safety and racial acceptance. Not only that, but the happiest community in the world resides in Neebing, Ontario. Canadian workers spend an average of 36.6 hours a week at work and productivity is high.
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.
Mexico has the world's hardest workers, clocking in at 2,127.8 hours per year on average. That means that the average Mexican worker works for 40.9 hours a week, about 5.7% more than the average worker in the United States.
The traditional American business hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, representing a workweek of five eight-hour days comprising 40 hours in total. These are the origin of the phrase 9-to-5, used to describe a conventional and possibly tedious job.
Although the legal recommendation for working hours in Japan is 40 hours per week, historically, many Japanese employers have required their employees to work as much as 80 hours of overtime per month.
Lunch in Germany is called Mittagessen and is usually eaten between 12 pm and 2 pm. Germans traditionally enjoy their main cooked meal for lunch rather than dinner.
Labour law prohibits taking the break at the end of the day's work in order to leave earlier. Breaks are not considered working time and are therefore not paid.
What is a good wage in Germany?
Is 60.000 Euros A Good Salary In Germany? 60.000 euros a year in Germany is considered a good gross salary as it is well above the average salary of 47.700 euros a year for the whole country. Most Germans who earn 60.000 euros or more are very happy with their salary.
Of the 38 OECD countries, the U.S. joins only Australia, New Zealand, and the UK with no statutory maximum length of the work week.
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Working for 80+ hours could be considered an extreme sport, and, as such, you shouldn't do it every day. If you still have to do it from time to time, sticking to a strict routine and blocking your time will help you succeed. Friendly advice: Don't make working 80+ hours per week into a routine.
The 9-to-5 workday originated in the 1800s from the American Labor unions who were trying to protect workers rights. Back then, manufacturing employees were working about 100 hours each week. Then in the 1920s, the Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford introduced a 40-hour workweek.
The modern 9-to-5, eight-hour workday was invented by American labor unions in the 1800s and went mainstream by Henry Ford in the 1920s. Workers today are still prepared to accept the same shifts because we have become so accustomed to it.
Around 71%. 31% of Americans work the 40-hour week and 40% of American work more than a 40-hour week.
The United States has one of the longest workweeks in the world — 1,791 hours per year, or 34.44 hours per week — compared to their international counterparts, according to the World Economic Forum.
Some countries have adopted a one-day weekend, i.e. either Sunday only (in seven countries), Friday only (in Djibouti and Somalia), or Saturday only (in Nepal and in Israel).
By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest average working week (32.2 hours), followed by Austria (33.7 hours) and Germany (34.6 hours). The EFTA country Norway also stands out with a short working week (33.9 hours).
Can you make a living without a 9 to 5 job?
Freelancing. With freelancing, you make the most of your skills without adhering to the standard 9-to-5 format. You can make money in nearly every niche, from writing and proofreading to videography, computer programming, and even accounting.
The five-day, 40-hour workweek became part of American labor law partly due to Henry Ford. In 1926, the founder of the Ford Motor Company took his six-day-a-week operation down to five days per week, with no changes in employee compensation.
- Make friends with your co-workers : ...
- Ask questions - there are no stupid questions : ...
- Take regular breaks: ...
- Eat snacks and stay hydrated: ...
- Don't bring work home: ...
- Plan time for oneself: ...
- Keep hobbies alive: ...
- Remember the reason for the job:
What is the 2-2-3 work schedule? The 2-2-3 shift pattern (also known as the Panama schedule) typically requires four teams of employees to provide adequate 24-hour coverage. Each team works two consecutive day shifts, followed by two days off, followed by three more days of work.
Research tells us that productivity falls sharply after 50 hours per week, and drops off a cliff after 55 hours. Additionally, not taking at least one full day off per week leads to lower hourly output overall. Research also reveals the damage to our physical health that overwork can cause.
Four On, Four Off (or 4 x 4)
Pros: Always having four consecutive days off gives employees plenty of time to recuperate between shifts. This schedule also provides employees with three consecutive weekends off during every eight-week cycle.
8am to 4pm is 8 hours - calculate time between any two hours while you type. 8am to 4pm is how many hours? Typically, you need to find a calculator, calculate the hours worked and then copy it over. This process takes time and you can easily make mistakes.
there are 9 hours.
When people work and what they do. Workers are most likely to be on the job between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show. (See chart 1.) However, some work atypical hours.
As a matter of principle, an employment contract contains compulsory information about working hours. A full-time job in Germany usually comprises between 35 and 40 hours each week. You may not work more than 48 hours each week ac- cording to the German Working Hours Act.
Does Germany have a 32 hour work week?
Germany is home to one of the shortest average working weeks in Europe. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the average working week is 34.2 hours. Yet, trade unions are calling for further reduced working hours.
Employees are entitled to a minimum of 24 days off for a 6-day work week and 20 days for a 5-day one. In reality, most employees receive 25-30 days of leave, even on a 5-day workweek. Employers may provide additional leave to employees who perform intense or dangerous work.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Ladenschlussgesetz or "Shop Closing Law" (abbreviated: LadSchlG) is the federal "blue law" compelling retail stores to close to the public on Sundays and Christian holidays.
- Australia. In Australia, the six-hour day and four-day week is supported by the Australian Greens.
- Finland. In 2020, the Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin advocated for a change towards implementing a six-hour working day. ...
- Norway. The Red Party (Norway) has advocated for a six-hour workday.
- Sweden.
Those with the longest working weeks were Greece (40.1 hours), Romania (39.8 hours), Poland (39.7 hours) and Bulgaria (39.5 hours). By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest average working week (32.2 hours), followed by Austria (33.7 hours) and Germany (34.6 hours).
Countries with the lowest average weekly working hours worldwide 2021. Somalia was the country with the lowest average weekly working hours per employee in 2021, with the most recent value showing that Somalians worked on average less than seven hours per week.
Because saying “Guten Appetit” before a meal in German is mandatory. You can also say “zum Wohl” (good health) or “Mahlzeit” (mealtime), particularly at lunch. Another mandatory German saying is the “Prost!” when you clink glasses.
Answer: Breakfast in Germany is usually with bread rolls or slices of whole wheat or rye bread with any kind of jam or marmalade, nougat cream or with salami, ham or cheese slices. This food is accompanied mostly with a cup of coffee and orange juice.
When dining with Germans, be especially mindful of proper manners. They eat continentally—with the fork in the left hand (tines down) and knife in the right hand throughout. Do not pass the fork back and forth between hands. Don't set down your knife to use the fork alone.
Mexico has the world's hardest workers, clocking in at 2,127.8 hours per year on average. That means that the average Mexican worker works for 40.9 hours a week, about 5.7% more than the average worker in the United States.
What country has the best work life balance?
When it comes to happiness, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland make up the top three, suggesting that great work perks and a work-life balance makes people happier in their lives.