Last year, a full-time employee in Austria worked 33.9 hours in a typical working week. For men, it was 34.3 hours, for women 32.9 hours. Vacations and sick leave are not included in these statistics, according to Agenda Austria.
The amount of work is lower than before the outbreak of the corona pandemic (around 35 hours) and almost four hours per week less than 20 years ago.
The developments are similar for women and men. In part-time employment, the average hours worked have recently even increased slightly, to 18.9 hours.
Why people are working less
The strong trend towards fewer hours is largely due to the current tax system, says Agenda Austria. Economist Carmen Treml says: “The endless discussions about adjusting statutory working hours are not productive. Every company can decide for itself how many hours per week will bring the highest productivity and thus added value. And every citizen can decide how much he or she wants to work, provided the state does not set the wrong incentives.”
What one should not expect is that the full-time working public will financially support those who work part-time voluntarily and without care responsibilities, says Treml.
