Comparative survey on operating hours and working time

For the first time, a survey provides comparable data on the operating hours of companies in all sectors and of all sizes in six EU Member States. It also examines working time arrangements to manage extended operating hours. The survey findings show that operating hours of German companies are among the longest, and that their working time arrangements are among the most flexible.

Public debate on collectively agreed working time generally involves the operating hours of companies, and agreed and actual working time. However, reliable national data on operating hours of companies are rare and international comparative surveys in the past have shown severe methodological deficits. The EU-funded project EUCOWE has explored for the first time the operating hours of companies in all sectors and of all sizes in six EU Member States, as well as the use of flexible working time arrangements. A recent publication by the project coordinator Sozialforschungsstelle Dortmund (SFS) summarises the findings, comparing data for Germany and the German federal state (Land) North Rhine-Westphalia to that of France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK) (Bauer et al, 2005).

Standardised methodological approach

Whereas previous comparative surveys on the operating hours of companies were based on a comparison of national statistics, the EUCOWE survey applied a standardised and harmonised methodological research design. This included defining in advance: the representative company samples; flexible working time arrangements; a questionnaire; and timing and data analysis. Data on working time and working time arrangements were drawn from the responses given by management. The survey makes it possible to compare operating hours and working time management within national economies – according to the business sector and company size – and between national economies.

Decoupling of operating hours and working time

EUCOWE figures show that the UK has the longest weekly operating hours, at 58.8 hours per week, Germany the second longest at 56.1 hours per week and the Netherlands the shortest at 51.2 hours per week.

Operating hours and individual working time are not necessarily related: a collective reduction in working time does not lead to a reduction in operating hours, according to the survey findings. In the UK, Germany and France, the operating hours for full-time employees exceed the agreed working time by about a half; in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, the operating hours exceed the agreed working time by a third. By sector, manufacturing in Germany shows the longest operating hours (63.4 hours per week), exceeding the collectively agreed working time by about two thirds. On the other hand, operating hours for German service industries rank fourth after the UK, France and Portugal, and correspond far more to individual working time.

Weekly and annual working time

The EUCOWE survey, which differentiates between working time in practice and collectively agreed working time, reveals that actual weekly working time in Germany (39.2 hours per week; North Rhine-Westphalia 39.4 hours per week) is the second longest, after the UK (see Table 1). The survey findings vary from the results of working time studies that are based on the responses of individual employees; however, the EUCOWE findings still demonstrate that actual working time is higher than collectively agreed working time.

Annual working time in Germany ranks second after the UK, where the number of individual and state holidays is significantly lower than in the other EU countries included in the survey.