According to Philippe Defeyt, the average working hours in 2022 have dropped to the lowest level since 1995, excluding 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This applies to both employees and self-employed individuals. Defeyt predicts that the average working hours of employees will return to a level close to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, though potentially lower. He does not foresee working hours continuing to decrease beyond this point, stating that a “ceiling, or rather a floor” has been reached.
Unions have criticized the lack of reduction in working hours since the transition to a 38-hour week in 2001, despite increased productivity. This is due to the 1996 wage blocking law, which prevents negotiation for reduced working hours. Clarisse Van Tichelen, a permanent employee of the CNE’s research department, points out that increasing wages or reducing working hours both increase hourly wage costs for employers.
According to Philippe Defeyt, the average number of hours worked in 2022 is at its lowest since 1995, if we do not take into account the years 2020 and 2021 (marked in particular by the coronavirus epidemic, as seen in the second graph of this article, editor’s note), both for employees and for the self-employed.
For the economist, the average number of working hours of employees should return in 2023 to a level close to – even if probably slightly lower – than before the recent crises.
As for the future, he does not see how working time might evolve further: “It seems to me that we have reached a kind of ceiling, or rather a floor.”
It seems to me that we have reached a kind of ceiling, or rather a floor
On the side of the unions, we denounce the fact that, since 2001 and the transition to the 38-hour week, “more than 20 years ago, we no longer reduced working hours, “as productivity increased.”
“The 1996 wage blocking law prevents us from negotiating the reduction of working hours, explains Clarisse Van Tichelen, permanent employee of the CNE’s research department. Raising wages or reducing working hours is the same for the employer. It increases the hourly wage cost.
In conclusion, the average number of working hours has reached its lowest since 1995, excluding the crisis years of 2020 and 2021. However, economist Philippe Defeyt predicts that it will return to its pre-pandemic levels by 2023. Despite this, unions argue that working hours have not been reduced in the last 20 years and blame the 1996 wage blocking law. It remains to be seen whether there will be any changes in the future, but as Defeyt stated, it seems that we have reached a ceiling, or rather a floor, in terms of working time evolution.
