Work-life Balance: A Review of Working Hours Around the World

Striking a good work-life balance is pivotal for all employees, including those working remotely. In this article, we explore the laws governing work time, the average working hours, and the time spent on work in various countries.

Most countries legally stipulate the number of working hours employees can work per week. This ensures that employees spend their work hours efficiently and productively. Local labour laws generally have provisions for the maximum amount of overtime as well, giving flexibility to working hours but also protecting workers from exploitation.

We'll illustrate the work-life balance across various countries and highlight specific working time laws and average working hours spent.

The Importance of Work Hours Around the World

When employing remotely, you will need to be aware of the variation in working hours across your team so you can employ your remote talent compliantly. Though certain international standards prevail, different countries’ working hours vary a lot. What’s more, while labour laws set standards, the reality can still be quite different. It’s important to triangulate what’s legally allowed with what’s culturally normal or expected in a given place you’re sourcing labour from. 

There are other differences to consider, as well. For example, men tend to work longer hours in paid employment compared to women—about 6.5 hours more per, on average.¹ The amount of paid leave and public holidays also affects the total number of hours people work in a year.

Understanding cultural and other contextual factors like these alongside applicable laws and regulations will allow you to employ the best talent around the world fairly and compliantly. Furthermore, monitoring economic productivity helps ensure time spent at work aligns with both legal standards and a sustainable work-life balance.

Work Hours By Country (At A Glance)

Here’s what the legal requirements and practical reality of work-life balance look like globally:

NOTE: Here and below, data on average hours worked per week are 2024 projections from the World Population Review and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), based on the latest available 2023 data.¹

Work-Life Balance in Africa

Legal restrictions on the average working hours across Africa vary to a degree, although the actual hours employees work tend to be pretty consistent across the continent and with global norms.

In South Africa, for example, normal work hours are capped at 45 per week. An employee can work a maximum of 9 hours per day (not including unpaid breaks) for a 5-day work week. Overtime is voluntary and cannot exceed 10 hours in a week, paid at a rate of 1.5x normal wage or 2x if it occurs on a Sunday.² The average number of hours worked per week for 2024 is 41.7.

However, in Kenya, the maximum amount of hours employees can work is higher—52 hours for daytime employees and 60 for nighttime workers. Nonetheless, normal working hours in the country are 45, and hours worked up to the 52 or 60-hour mark are overtime (1.5x rate).³ Actual hours worked per week project a bit higher than in South Africa, clocking in at 45.1 for 2024.

Working Hours in Asia & Oceania

‍Many countries across Asia and Oceania are known for rigorous workloads. Some of this comes from loopholes that have allowed individuals to work (or be forced to work) far longer than should be allowed—but this phenomenon has been mitigated to an extent in recent years.

Averages in Asia today are close to global norms and sometimes a bit low, according to the ILO.

For example, China has a 44-hour work week with 8-hour days as a standard. Until recently, many workers found themselves working ‘996,’ or 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM 6 days per week.⁴ But crackdowns in 2021 and afterward, especially within the rapidly expanding technology sector, have righted the ship in many instances. The average workweek in 2024 is 45 hours. 

In South Korea, there was a push to shift the maximum hourly workload (including overtime) from the existing 52 hours to a max of 69 hours.⁵ However, the proposal failed, and the average workweek in the country is projected relatively low at 37.9 hours per week as of 2024.

In Oceania, Australia stipulates a maximum 38-hour work week. Reasonable overtime is allowed, however, working hours must average 38 hours per week over an extended period of time.⁶ Actual hours worked on average are 32.8 per week, which is relatively low globally.

European Working Hours

European countries are known for having relatively low working hours, and this stands to reason. Many countries in Europe are below the ILO’s global average of 41.1 hours per week.

French employment law, for example, has stipulated 35-hour work weeks since 2000, and many firms have experimented with 32-hour weeks in recent years.⁷ Of course, 35 is not an absolute maximum but a threshold over which overtime kicks in. But the average workweek in France in 2024, per the ILO, is still significantly under this figure at 30.7 hours per week. Similar averages apply in neighboring Spain (32.1) and Italy (34), along with culturally similar Portugal (33.8).

More distant or distinct countries stray further (Bulgaria’s average is 38.2 hours per week). And, on another level altogether, some European countries have very high legal maximums.

In the Netherlands, the Working Hours Act states that employees can work a maximum of 60 hours a week—though averages must cohere to 48 hours per week over 16 weeks or 55 per week over a 4-week period.⁸ But, paradoxically, the average hours actually worked per week in the Netherlands for 2024 was projected to be one of the lowest anywhere in the world at 26.7.

North America’s Work-Life Landscape

Both maximum and average workweeks in the United States and Canada are similar to those in Europe. See below for Mexico, which we’re grouping with other Latin American countries.

There are industry and regional variations in Canada, but employment law limits the workweek to a maximum of 40 normal hours, 48 including overtime, for federally regulated workplaces. All workers are also entitled to a minimum of one full day of rest per week, typically on a Sunday.¹⁰ The average workweek in Canada is estimated to be 32.3 hours in 2024.

In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act stipulates a standard 40-hour workweek (excluding overtime) for non-exempt employees.¹⁰ Anything above is considered overtime and must be paid at a rate of 1.5x the normal wage. However, there is no limit on the amount of overtime or hours of work per week and little regulation of annual leave and rest periods. Still, the average workweek for employees in the US, as of 2024, is projected at 36.4 hours.

Working Hours in Central & South America

Countries in Latin America, including Central and South America, are governed by strict labour laws, ensuring manageable hours in employment. On average, people in these regions work close to global norms, promoting better work-life balance.

Mexican labour law states that employees working during the day can work 48 hours per week and night shift workers are capped at 42. Overtime is capped at 9 hours per week. While these are fairly standard, Mexico’s enforcement of them is relatively strict. In Mexico, overworking employees can be considered a form of human trafficking and met with fines and other criminal penalties.¹¹ Workweeks project out to 42.7 hours on average, just a tick above the global mean.

‍Argentina’s labour laws similarly limit the workweek to 48 hours and 8 hours per day (including overtime, capped at 3 hours per day). The regular work week is 44 hours a week. However, the average hours worked per week for 2024, per ILO projections, was significantly lower: 35.4.