Eurostat: Greeks again lead in overtime – 74.5% work more than 40 hours a week

Greece again takes first place in European Union by the number of workers spending more than 40 hours a week at work. According to the latest data Eurostat for the second quarter of 2025, 74.5% of employed Greeks work more than standard working hours, and almost one in eight works more than 50 hours a week.

Leaders in recycling

In the second quarter of 2025 20.9% Greek workers aged 20–64 worked more than 45 hours per week, almost double the national average EU (10.8%). After Greece follow Cyprus (16.6%) and Malta (14.6%), while the lowest rates were recorded in Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%) and Romania (5.9%).

The share of workers working more than 50 hours per week in Greece was 12.2% – almost twice the EU average (6.5%).

Working hours and employment structure

According to data Eurostatthe most common range of working hours in EU countries remains 20–44 hours per week – 72.3% of all employees fall into this category. However, in Greece the category of workers employed from 40 to 45 hours per week dominates (53.6%), which indicates a shift in the balance towards full-time and super-full-time employment.

Only 1.7% of Greeks work between 30 and 39 hours, while in Eurozone this figure reaches 19%. For comparison: in Denmark And France A 35-39 hour week is the norm for more than a third of workers.

The Decline of the Classical Graphic

Traditional model “eight hours – five days” gradually becoming an exception. Most workers are forced to work extra hours or combine two and sometimes three jobs. This is due not only to low wages, but also to the rising cost of living. At the same time, only 6.1% of workers in Greece are employed part-time (up to 19 hours per week), while, for example, in the Netherlands this figure reaches 26.8%.

Connection with the digital labor card

The increase in the number of officially recorded overtime hours in the second quarter of 2025 is largely due to the introduction digital labor card in the tourism and catering sectors. According to the information system ΕΡΓΑΝΗin the first seven months of 2025 alone, 1.8 million more overtime hours were recorded than in the same period in 2024.

In the tourism sector, the number of officially registered overtime increased by 681%and in public catering – on 180%. These data show that a significant proportion of previously hidden or unpaid work is now officially recorded. However, experts note that the actual volumes of overtime may be significantly higher, since violations related to exceeding working hours remain one of the most common forms of labor dishonesty.

Prospect for reform

Meanwhile GSEE (Main Confederation of Labor of Greece) again raises the issue of introducing 37.5 hour work week no salary reduction. According to experts, this step would bring Greek practice closer to common European standards. However, the implementation of such a reform is only possible with the resumption of collective bargainingwhich today cover only 20% of private sector workers. By comparison, the EU target is at least 80%.

In the meantime, the Greek labor market continues to hold the lead in processing – not so much because of hard work, but because of the necessity dictated by economic realities.

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