New figures released by Eurostat show that employees in Greece worked an average of 39.6 hours per week in 2025, the highest level among the EU’s 27 member states. The figure places Greece well above the European average of 35.9 hours and ahead of other eastern and southern European economies, including Bulgaria and Poland, where employees worked 38.7 hours weekly.
The data underscores a persistent paradox in the Greek economy. More than a decade after the country’s debt crisis triggered sweeping labor-market reforms, wage cuts and austerity measures, Greeks continue to log some of the longest working hours in Europe while average salaries remain below those in many northern European countries.
Across the bloc, average working hours have gradually declined over the past decade, falling from 36.9 hours in 2015 as governments and companies increasingly embraced flexible schedules, remote work and productivity-focused labor policies. Countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have become synonymous with shorter working weeks and stronger work-life balance protections.
The Netherlands recorded the shortest average workweek in the EU at 31.9 hours, followed by Denmark and Germany at 33.9 hours. Austria stood at 34 hours.
Economists say the gap reflects structural differences between Europe’s economies. Greece has a higher share of small businesses, self-employed workers and labor-intensive sectors such as tourism, hospitality and agriculture, where long working hours are more common. Lower productivity levels compared with northern Europe also mean employees often work longer hours without corresponding gains in output.
The Eurostat figures also highlighted disparities between professions across the European Union. Skilled workers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries recorded the longest working weeks, averaging 42 hours, followed by managers at 40.6 hours and members of the armed forces at 39.4 hours.
For Greece, the latest numbers are likely to fuel an already sensitive political debate over labor conditions and living standards. The government has argued that recent economic growth and falling unemployment signal a broader recovery from the country’s financial crisis years. Critics, however, say the data reveal an economy still heavily reliant on long hours rather than productivity gains.
