Revealed: these are the countries with the shortest working weeks (2024)

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Revealed: these are the countries with the shortest working weeks? ›

And the country with the shortest working week is… the Netherlands, with the Dutch working an average of 29.5 hours per week. They're followed by Denmark, whose average is 32.5 hours, and Norway, with 33.6.

The 6 Day Workweek:

While less common in many parts of the world, the six-day workweek is still prevalent in certain industries, particularly in countries like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. This work structure involves employees working for longer hours, often exceeding the standard eight-hour workday.

Belgium. Belgium became the first European country to legislate a four-day workweek back in 2022. Legally, Belgians can now complete the hours that would make up their standard, five-day workweek in four days.

A globally distributed workforce also requires companies to consider the norms around working hours in different countries. Not every country has a 40-hour workweek or a typical 9-to-5 day. Some countries don't even have a Monday to Friday workweek! Working hours can vary greatly by country.

Spain announced a voluntary, nationwide, three-year trial of a 32-hour workweek. The Japanese government's 2021 annual economic policy guidelines recommended that companies allow their workers to opt for a four-day work week, as part of an initiative aimed at improving work-life balance in the country.

Japan. In 2021, the Japanese government's annual economic policy guidelines included a recommendation that companies let employees opt for a four-day workweek and, by extension, a 3-day weekend. Kuniko Inoguchi, a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party and economist, spearheaded the proposal.

The present-day concept of the "weekend" first arose in the industrial north of Britain in the early 19th century. Some countries have adopted a one-day weekend, i.e. either Sunday only (in seven countries), Friday only (in Djibouti, Iran, and Somalia), or Saturday only (in Nepal).

Burma. In the Burmese version of Theravada Buddhism, the week has eight days. Wednesday is divided into Wednesday proper (midnight to noon) and Rahu (noon to midnight).

Does Sweden work 4 days a week? ›

4-Day Workweek in Sweden

Sweden made headlines in 2015 when it implemented a four-day workweek in Gothenburg. Instead of adhering to the traditional model of four eight-hour workdays, the working hours were reduced to six hours per day, totalling 30 hours per week.

There is no specific number of hours that makes someone full or part-time, but a full-time worker will usually work 35 hours or more a week. Part-time workers should get the same treatment for: pay rates (including sick pay, maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay) pension opportunities and benefits.

For most Canadians, today is also the beginning of a four-day workweek, a concept that has gained traction in recent years in the ongoing search for a better work-life balance. Some employers in Canada and other countries have tested out the idea, and a handful have adopted it.

Kiribati in the Pacific was the country with the lowest average weekly working hours per employee in 2022, with the most recent value showing that the population of Kiribati worked on average less than 28 hours per week. Second came Vanuatu at nearly 29 hours per week, with Micronesia following in third.

Henry Ford started the concept of 9-5 working hours in 1926 for his assembly line workers. Before that schedule, employees were working much longer hours. The 9-5 arrangement ensured employees were all there and engaged during business hours, and it made people more productive because they worked together efficiently.

In America, the first example of a 5-day work week occurred in 1908 at a mill in New England, which had Jewish workers who observed the sabbath on Saturday and preferred to work on Sunday. To avoid offending Christian workers who went to church on Sunday, management gave all workers the entire weekend off.

4 Day Working Week in the United Arab Emirates

With this shift, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first country in the world to officially move to a work week that is less than the traditional 5 days. The province of Sharjah has gone one further, and has adopted 4 day week model.

New Zealand. New Zealand takes the top spot in Remote's ranking of the best countries in the world for a life-work balance.

1940: The Fair Labor Standards Act was amended to reduce the workweek to 40 hours. Since then, the 40-hour work week has been a U.S. law. 1948: Australia achieved a 40-hour week.