Finnish working hours average for EU
Finns do more overtime, less part-time work
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Finland’s weekly working hours are about average for the European Union, if the new member states are excluded.
Based on a comparison of working hour statistics of the different EU countries, Statistics Finland concluded that Finns do more overtime, and less part-time work than the EU average.
Such comparisons are not easy to make: the issue is complicated, and different comparisons can reach completely opposite conclusions, depending on the sources and methods used.
The topic is also a hot issue in labour market politics, especially now that the large European countries seem to be pushing for longer working hours in response to competition from globalisation, and other factors.
A key finding of the study, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Labour and Finnish labour market organisations, was that although regular working hours in Finland are fairly short, the actual hours that Finns work are about average for the EU.
There is more overtime work in Finland, and less part-time work than in most EU countries.
Working hours in Finland have decreased since the late 1990s. The trend is partly attributable to the increase in overtime work.
In 2003 wage earners had an average 36.8 hours a week of fixed working hours. The actual work week - affected by absenteeism on the one hand, and overtime work on the other - was slightly shorter - an average 35.9 hours. The final figures are also heavily influenced by cyclical factors.
There is also considerable variation between the different sectors. The longest work weeks are in transport, construction, and manufacturing. The shortest are in communications, education, and real estate.
The shortest working hours in the EU are in The Netherlands, Denmark, and France. In those countries part-time work is also more common than in Finland.
Working hours are longest in Southern Europe.
Helsingin Sanomat
