Is the Danish working time short?

From a European perspective, the Danish working time is often described as short, and if the average hours worked by Danes in employment is compared to that of other EU countries, their working time is indeed short.

However, many men and women participate in the labour market in Denmark, and taking this into account, is the Danes’ working time then actually short? This is the question that we examine in this analysis in which the Danes’ weekly working time is assessed by two different methods. In this context, we also look into groups in Denmark working more or less than the average of other European countries.

 Major findings of the analysis:  

• The Danish employment rate is relatively high, and Danish women have the third highest employment rate in the EU.
• If the working time is assessed in proportion to the number of persons in the population, the Danes’ average weekly working time is in the midrange and slightly above the EU average. The Danish working time per person in the population, however, is shorter than that of Sweden, Germany and Great Britain.
• The relatively short working time per person in employment is partly due to the fact that many students are working too. If students are disregarded, the Danish working time per person in employment is closer to, but still approximately one and a half hours shorter than the European countries included in the analysis.
• The working time per person in employment between 60 and 74 years is about the average of the European countries included in the analysis, whereas the working time per person in the population in this age group is somewhat above the average. This is because the employment rate among the 60-74-year-old Danes is relatively high.
• The working time for highly educated persons in Denmark is generally below the average for the European countries in the analysis, regardless if this is assessed per person in employment or per person in the population. The working time for persons with short and medium level education is marginally above the average when assessed in proportion to the number of persons in the population with short and medium level education.