Workers do work to modernize a tram line in Bucharest, August 13, 2025. Inquam Photos / George Călin
The number of hours worked is constantly increasing throughout the European Union, but Greece stands out – rather, in a negative sense – because, according to the latest Eurostat data for the second quarter of 2025, Greek workers are in the first place in the EU in terms of working hours, writes the Greek press.
Specifically, 10.8% of people employed between 20 and 64 years old in the EU worked more than 45 hours per week in the main job and/or second job. In Greece, the percentage is 20.9%, which means that more than one in five workers exceeds the overtime limit. The percentage of Greece is almost double compared to the EU average. After Greece, Cyprus (16.6%) and Malta (14.6%) follow.
At the opposite pole, the fewest working hours are registered in Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%) and Romania (5.9%).
The number of working hours most commonly encountered in the EU remains between 20 and 44 hours per week, and 72.3% of workers fall into this category. The highest percentages in this regard are registered in Bulgaria (92.8%), Romania (90.6%) and Latvia (86.9%).
At the same time, about 16.9% of EU workers work up to 19 hours per week. The work -based work is the most widespread in the Netherlands (26.8%), Denmark (25.5%) and Austria (25.3%), while the lowest percentages are registered in Romania (3.5%), Bulgaria (4.6%) and Greece (6.1%).
(Material made with the support of Rador Radio Romania)
