One in five Greeks works more than 45 hours a week, making Greece the country with the highest percentage in the European Union, according to data Eurostat published on Tuesday, concerning the year’s second quarter.

About 20.9% of Greek workers aged between 20 and 64 are employed by one or more employers for more than 45 hours a week, nearly double the European average (10.8%).

Economic uncertainty and the need to improve income, due to significantly low wages, high unemployment – which despite the decrease in recent months remains significantly higher than the European average – the precariousness of the domestic labor market and the often inadequate implementation of labor legislation are some of the most important causes of the phenomenon.

Other factors include the size of Greek businesses, with many very small enterprises and often family businesses, as well as the importance that specific sectors have in the Greek economy that rely on the intensification of work during specific periods, such as tourism and the food industry.

Finally, the shallowness of the market, plus the constantly increasing job vacancies, along with the mismatch between supply and demand, give a multifactorial character to the problem.

Behind Greece’s 20.9% rate are Cyprus (16.6%) and Malta (14.6%), while the lowest levels are found in Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%) and Romania (5.9%). The majority (72.3%) of employees in the EU work between 20 and 44 hours per week, while in Greece only 6.1% work less than 19 hours, an indication of limited part-time employment.

Moreover, according to previous Eurostat data, the average weekly working time in Greece in 2024 was 39.8 hours, in the main job – also the highest in the EU. In fact, for men in full-time employment, the average reaches 42.4 hours.

It should not be overlooked that, according to data from the Ergani database of the Labor and Social Insurance Ministry, in 2025 there was a significant increase in declared overtime, as it now approaches 4 million hours, increased by approximately 1.8 million compared to 2024.

Source: Ekathimerini.com