South Korea vs United States: Average weekly hours actually worked per employee
Average weekly hours actually worked per employee over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 37.75 against 37.72 in South Korea, a difference of 0.03.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 23 shared years of data; in 2003 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 71st and United States ranks 70th of 101 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.72 | 38.25 | 8.47 | South Korea |
| 2010s | 43.15 | 38.07 | 5.08 | South Korea |
| 2020s | 38.03 | 37.98 | 0.055 | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average weekly hours actually worked per employee, South Korea or United States?
- United States, at 37.75 against 37.72 in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in average weekly hours actually worked per employee between South Korea and United States?
- 0.03, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for average weekly hours actually worked per employee?
- South Korea ranks 71st and United States ranks 70th of 101 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Average weekly hours actually worked per employee. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. Data on hours of work are presented, whenever possible, on the basis of the average number of hours of work per week, and with reference to hours worked in the main (paid) job regardless of working time arrangements (e.g. full-time and part-time). Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.