In May, Eurostat released the results of a study showing the average working hours of European countries in 2024. And where did the Netherlands land? In last place… but it’s a good thing this time.
In 2024, people in the Netherlands worked the lowest number of hours in the EU, with the average work week for people aged between 20 and 64 lasting 32.1 hours.
What does this mean? Well, if you live in the Netherlands, you’ll notice that the four-day work week is becoming the norm.
How has this happened?
According to the Financial Times, this is because the Netherlands has the highest rate of part-time work in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
And where did this all start? With women, of course. 😉
The Netherlands operated like many other countries up until the 1980s — men went out to work, women stayed at home with the kinderen, but that all changed in the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s.
During this time, women started entering the Dutch labour force, working in part-time roles.
And as we all know, women are the real trend setters. As time passed, more men also started to work part-time, especially when there were young children at home.
However, it’s worth noting that while the work weeks are shorter, work lives are longer. People in the Netherlands work an average of six years longer compared to other European countries.
So, which would you prefer, a shorter work week? Or a shorter work life? That’s the question.
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Do overtime hours begin after 4 days or do they have overtime?