Archive:Hours of work and absences from work - quarterly statistics

Data extracted in October 2021

Planned article update: January 2022

Highlights

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During the first quarter of 2020, an unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus began and the labour market in the European Union (EU) was affected by COVID-19 measures taken by Member States throughout 2020. Restrictive measures varied in intensity across countries and time. Employment and unemployment, as defined by the ILO concepts, were in this particular situation insufficient to describe all the main developments taking place in the EU labour market.

Eurostat responded by developing a set of additional quarterly indicators, to reflect the main changes in the labour market in the Member States. These indicators refer to the actual hours worked in the main job, the weekly absences from work, the quarterly absences broken down by reason, the recent job leavers and starters, as well as the labour market slack, which comprises all persons who have an unmet need for employment either because they are unemployed according to the ILO definition, are close to unemployment while not fulfilling all ILO criteria, or are working part-time and would like to work additional hours.

This article focuses on the quarterly changes in the actual hours worked in the main job, using an index where the reference (100) is the year 2006 (average over the four quarters of 2006). The index indicates the change in the total actual hours of work in the considered quarter of a year compared to the actual working hours in 2006. The value of the index is influenced by the number of employed persons in the considered quarter of a year, as well as by the number of hours worked by each of these employed persons. Please note that the data presented is seasonally adjusted.

The aim of this article is to describe the actual hours of work in the four quarters of 2020 in the European Union (EU) as a whole, for all EU Member States individually (except Germany for which data is not yet available), as well as for three EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) and two candidate countries (North Macedonia and Turkey).

This article is part of the online publication Labour market in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic - quarterly statistics, which also contains other articles such as the Labour market slack - unmet need for employment and Absences from work.

Full article

Differences in the length of the actual working week

In the EU, during the second quarter of 2021, employed people, aged 20-64, spent in work 36.2 hours on average per week. This number refers to the hours, which people have actually spent in work activities in the main job during the surveyed reference week, i.e. actual hours worked in the main job. Note that actual hours of work differ from usual hours, which are the modal value of the actual hours worked per week over a long reference period, excluding weeks when an absence from work occurs (e.g. holidays, leaves, strikes, etc.).

The EU average actual working week hides many differences among countries (see Map 1). The longest weeks of work among the EU Member States, of 39.5 hours or more, were found in Poland (39.5 hours), Romania (39.7 hours) and Greece (40.2 hours). However, even longer working week was found outside the EU, namely in Serbia, with 42.5 hours of work on average. In contrast, the shortest weeks, of less than 35.5 hours of work, were observed in Finland (35.4 hours), Denmark and France (both with 35.3 hours), Belgium (34.6 hours), Germany (34.2 hours), Austria (33.3 hours) and the Netherlands (31.5 hours). The EFTA country Norway (33.8 hours) also stands out with relatedly short actual working week.

Map 1: Average number of actual weekly hours of work
Source: Eurostat, ad hoc extraction from Labour Force Survey

Map 1 also reveals a clear geographical pattern in the length of the average working week, as Eastern and Southern countries tend to have longer hours of work than the Western and Northern.

Number of hours of work up in most countries

Between the first and second quarters of 2021 (Q1 and Q2 2021), the total volume of hours of work increased by 3.0 % at EU level (see Figure 1). Still looking at EU level, men and women showed similar development in the number of hours of work, namely an increase of respectively 2.7 % and 3.3 %. The Majority of EU Member States (21 out of 27 countries) also saw an increase in the total volume of hours of work, nonetheless, the magnitude of the increase varied a lot; from less than 2 % in Germany and Poland (both with +1.4 %), Slovenia (+1.1 %) and Sweden (+0.9 %) to more than 10 % in Portugal (+10.2 %), Ireland (+10.8 %), Slovakia (+12.4 %) and Greece (+18.0 %). The remaining 6 of the 27 EU countries, experienced a drop in the volume of the hours of work from Q1 to Q2 2021, with France (-2.2 %), the Netherlands (-2.8 %) and Belgium (-3.6 %) registering the largest decreases, of more than 2 %.

Figure 1: Quarterly change in the volume of actual hours worked in the main job by gender
Source: Eurostat, ad hoc extraction from Labour Force Survey

The increase in the volume of hours of work in Greece, Slovakia and Portugal between Q1 and Q2 2021 was primarily due to an increase for women, whose number of working hours gained respectively 23.9 %, 17.3 % and 15.5 % registering the highest increases for women in the EU. Men in Greece, Slovakia and Portugal also experienced an increase in working hours, however, with a much lower magnitude, of respectively 14.5 %, 8.9 % and 5.6 %. Furthermore, those three countries stood out with the most substantial gender differences in the quarterly development in the number of working hours between the first two quarters of 2021.

Impact of absences from work

One of the key determinants of the total volume of hours worked is the level of absences from work. An overview of absences from work as a percentage of employment in the first two quarters of 2021 is presented in Figure 2.

Between Q1 and Q2, the share of total absences from work decreased by more than 5 percentage points (p.p.) in Portugal (-5.8 p.p.), Ireland (-6.6 p.p.), Slovakia (-8.6 p.p.) and Greece (-10.9 p.p.), namely the countries with the highest increase in the number of working hours from Q1 to Q2 2021. It is also worth noting that Portugal, Ireland, Slovakia and Greece had the highest shares of absences during Q1 2021. Furthermore, the decrease from Q1 to Q2 2021 in those four countries was substantially sharper for women than for men: Greece (-13.0 p.p. versus -9.6 p.p.), Slovakia (-11.3 p.p. versus -6.3 p.p.), Portugal (-8.5 p.p. versus -3.1 p.p.) and Ireland (-7.0 p.p. versus -6.2 p.p.). In addition, the share of absences also dropped in other 16 EU countries between the first two quarters of 2021 but to a lesser extent. On the other hand, some Member States recorded a rise in the proportion of absences from Q1 to Q2 2021, among those the Netherlands (+1.8 p.p.), Estonia (+1.5 p.p.) and Sweden (+1.1 p.p.) stood out the highest increases.

Figure 2: Absences from work by gender
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_abt_q)

Finland (13.5 %), Ireland (13.4 %), France (12.0 %), Estonia (11.1 %) and Sweden (10.6 %) recorded more than 1 in 10 employed people who were absent from work in Q2 2021, the highest rates among the EU countries. The lowest shares, on the other end of the scale, were found in Hungary (4.9 %), Bulgaria (2.6 %) and Romania (1.5 %).

The share of absences from work was higher for women than for men in all EU countries during Q1 and Q2 2021. Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary had the widest gender gaps in the first half of 2021, whereas Malta had the closest shares between both genders.

Apart from absences from work, the level of employment also influences the volume of working hours. Further information on employment can be found in the quarterly articles on employment and employed people and job starters by economic activity and occupation.

Own-account workers with the highest increase

Figure 3 displays the quarterly development in the number of working hours by professional status between Q1 and Q2 2021. The self-employed people without employees (also known as own-account workers) had the sharpest increase (+9.9 %) in the EU. Own-account workers were followed by self-employed with employees (employers) and employees who gained respectively, a 6.1 % and 2.0 % increase in working hours between the first two quarters of 2021.

Figure 3: Quarterly change in the volume of actual hours worked in the main job by professional status
Source: Eurostat, ad hoc extraction from Labour Force Survey

The vast majority of EU Member States (24 out of 27 countries) reflected the global increase at EU level in the number of hours of work for the own-account workers. Lithuania (+37.3 %), Romania (+28.5 %) and Croatia (+25.3 %) recorded the highest increases, of more than one-quarter. On the other hand, Bulgaria (-0.2 %) and Belgium (-1.5 %) recorded a mild drop in the number of working hours for that group of workers, whereas Luxembourg (-13.5 %) had a more substantial decrease.

Turning the focus onto employers, 20 out of 27 EU countries recorded an increase in the number of working hours for this category of workers between Q1 and Q2 2021. Furthermore, Greece (+27.7 %), Slovakia (+26.0 %), Croatia (+24.5 %), Ireland (+23.2 %) and Portugal (+20.6 %) had the steepest rise. Employers in the remaining 7 EU Member States experienced a decrease in the number of working hours, with Finland (-7.4 %), Romania (-8.4 %) and Malta (-13.7 %) standing out with the most considerable cuts.

Finally, the number of working hours of employees, the largest group in terms of employed people, increased in 19 out of 27 EU countries between Q1 and Q2 2021, among them Greece (+17.7 %), Slovakia (+10.2 %) and Ireland (+9.3 %) recorded the most sizable increases. At the same time, in 8 EU countries, the number of working hours of employees decreased, the sharpest drops, of more than 3 %, were found in France (-3.1 %), Estonia (-3.5 %), the Netherlands (-3.9 %) and Belgium (-4.4 %).

Hours worked skyrocketed in the accommodation and food services

The number of hours worked skyrocketed in the accommodation and food services sector (sectors of the economic activities according to sections of NACE Rev. 2), corresponding to a 49.2 % increase between Q1 and Q2 2021 at EU level (see Figure 4). The accommodation and food services were followed by sectors of arts, entertainment and recreation (+21.0 %) and other service activities (+11.8 %), which also recorded an increase in the number of working hours of more than 10 %. All in all, 14 out of 17 sectors of the economy registered an increase in the number of working hours from Q1 to Q2 2021; the exceptions were human health and social work activities (-0.8 %), public administration and defence (-1.2 %) and financial, insurance and real estate activities (-2.0 %), which showed a slight decrease between the first two quarters of 2021.

Figure 4: Quarterly change in the volume of actual hours worked in the main job by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in the EU
Source: Eurostat, ad hoc extraction from Labour Force Survey

In the majority of EU countries (21 out of 27), the accommodation and food services sector ranked as the sector with the highest or second-highest increase in the number of working hours between Q1 and Q2 2021 (see Figure 5). The increase was more than two-fold in Portugal, Cyprus and Croatia, and more than three-fold in Greece.

Figure 5: Quarterly change in the volume of actual hours worked in the main job by economic activity
Source: Eurostat, ad hoc extraction from Labour Force Survey

Source data for tables and graphs

Hours of work Q1-Q4 2020: Figures and tables Hours of work Q1 2006 - Q4 2020: Figures and tables for video

Data sources

All figures in this article are based on quarterly results from the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS).

Source: The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) is the largest European household sample survey providing mostly quarterly and annual results on labour participation of people aged 15 and over as well as on persons outside the labour force. It covers residents in private households. Conscripts in military or community service are not included in the results. The EU-LFS is based on the same target populations and uses the same definitions in all countries, which means that the results are comparable between countries.

European aggregates: EU refers to the sum of the EU-27 Member States. If data is unavailable for a country, the calculation of the corresponding aggregates is computed with estimates. Such cases are indicated.

Country note: Spain and France have assessed the attachment to the job and included in employment those who have an unknown duration of absence but expect to return to the same job once the COVID-19 measures in place are lifted.

Coverage: The industry sector encompasses ‘mining and quarrying’, ‘manufacturing’, ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’ and ‘water supply, including sewerage, waste management and remediation activities’.

Eight different articles on detailed technical and methodological information are available from the overview page of the online publication EU Labour Force Survey. Detailed information on coding lists, explanatory notes and classifications used over time can be found under documentation.

Context

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe in January and February 2020, with the first cases confirmed in Spain, France and Italy. COVID-19 infections have been diagnosed since then in all European Union (EU) Member States. To fight the pandemic, EU Member States have taken a wide variety of measures. From the second week of March 2020, most countries closed retail shops, with the exception of supermarkets, pharmacies and banks. Bars, restaurants and hotels were also closed. In Italy and Spain, non-essential production was stopped and several countries imposed regional or even national lock-down measures which further stifled economic activities in many areas. In addition, schools were closed, public events were cancelled and private gatherings (with numbers of persons varying from 2 to over 50) banned in most EU Member States.

The majority of the preventive measures were initially introduced during mid-March 2020. Consequently, the first quarter of 2020 was the first quarter in which the labour market across the EU was affected by COVID-19 measures taken by Member States.

In the following quarters of 2020, as well as 2021, the preventive measures against the pandemic were continuously lightened and re-enforced in accordance with the number of new cases of the disease. New waves of the pandemic began to appear regularly (e.g. peaks in October-November 2020 and March-April 2021). Furthermore, new strains of the virus with increased transmissibility emerged in late 2020, which additionally alarmed the health authorities. Nonetheless, as massive vaccination campaigns started all around the world in 2021, people began to anticipate improvement of the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statistics on the hours of work adds a new dimension to employment. The “average number of actual weekly hours of work in the main job” is an indicator aiming to give a perspective to the social conditions of the labour, while the volume of hours worked adds an economic perspective, insofar it serves as a proxy for the labour input to the production. The quarterly data on hours of work allows to regularly report on the impact of the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the working life and economy.

Please note that in this exceptional context of the COVID-19 pandemic, employment and unemployment as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are not sufficient to describe the developments taking place in the labour market. In the first phase of the crisis, active measures to contain employment losses led to absences from work rather than dismissals, and individuals could not look for work or were not available due to the containment measures, thus not counting as unemployed. Only referring to unemployment might consequently underestimate the entire unmet demand for employment, also called the labour market slack, which is further analysed, with namely the evolution of the total volume of working hours, in the publication Labour market in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Direct access to

Publications

Methodology

Publications

ESMS metadata files and EU-LFS methodology

Employment and unemployment (Labour Force Survey) (ESMS metadata file — employ_esms)
LFS series - detailed quarterly survey results (from 1998 onwards) (ESMS metadata file — lfsq_esms)
LFS series - detailed annual survey results (ESMS metadata file — lfsa_esms)
LFS ad-hoc modules (ESMS metadata file — lfso_esms)
LFS main indicators (ESMS metadata file — lfsi_esms)
LFS regional series (ESMS metadata file — reg_lmk)