Annual working hours per person employed in France
France: Annual working hours per person employed was 1,503 Hours in 2016. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per person employed in France, 1970–2016
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Hours.
Analysis
In 2016, annual working hours per person employed in France stood at 1,503 Hours.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per person employed in France peaked at 1,948 Hours in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1,497 Hours, in 2002.
France ranks 33rd of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,862 Hours | 1,787 Hours | 1,948 Hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,674 Hours | 1,627 Hours | 1,779 Hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,601 Hours | 1,569 Hours | 1,629 Hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,523 Hours | 1,497 Hours | 1,550 Hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,518 Hours | 1,503 Hours | 1,535 Hours | 7 |
Countries ranked near France
- 30 Switzerland 1,590 Hours compare
- 31 Belgium 1,546 Hours compare
- 32 Luxembourg 1,520 Hours compare
- 34 Netherlands 1,437 Hours compare
- 35 Norway 1,429 Hours compare
- 36 Denmark 1,409 Hours compare
More work & labour data for France
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 55.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 59.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 51.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 74.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 71.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per person employed in France?
- Annual working hours per person employed in France was 1,503 Hours in 2016, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per person employed recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 1,948 Hours in 1970.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per person employed recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,497 Hours in 2002.
- How does France rank for annual working hours per person employed?
- France ranks 33rd out of 37 countries with data for 2016.
- Is annual working hours per person employed rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per person employed. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Regular hours worked by full-time and part-time workers, paid and unpaid overtime, hours worked in additional jobs, and time not worked because of public holidays, annual paid leave, strikes and labour disputes, and other reasons.