Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland

Switzerland: Annual working hours per person employed was 1,590 Hours in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
1,590 Hours
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
30th
of 37 countries
All-time high
2,082 Hours
in 1970
All-time low
1,575 Hours
in 2014
Years of data
47
1970–2016

Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland, 1970–2016

05001.0k1.5k2.0k197019932016

Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Hours.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland is 1,590 Hours, measured in 2016.

That represents a change of down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland peaked at 2,082 Hours in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1,575 Hours, in 2014.

That places Switzerland 30th out of 37 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.

Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland, 1970 to 2016.
Year Hours Change
1970 2,082 Hours —
1971 2,072 Hours -0.5%
1972 2,047 Hours -1.2%
1973 2,018 Hours -1.4%
1974 1,989 Hours -1.5%
1975 1,979 Hours -0.5%
1976 1,967 Hours -0.6%
1977 1,946 Hours -1.1%
1978 1,933 Hours -0.6%
1979 1,917 Hours -0.8%
1980 1,901 Hours -0.9%
1981 1,879 Hours -1.1%
1982 1,875 Hours -0.2%
1983 1,849 Hours -1.4%
1984 1,821 Hours -1.5%
1985 1,813 Hours -0.4%
1986 1,807 Hours -0.4%
1987 1,807 Hours -0.0%
1988 1,806 Hours -0.0%
1989 1,791 Hours -0.8%
1990 1,781 Hours -0.5%
1991 1,684 Hours -5.5%
1992 1,693 Hours +0.5%
1993 1,689 Hours -0.2%
1994 1,711 Hours +1.3%
1995 1,690 Hours -1.2%
1996 1,667 Hours -1.4%
1997 1,658 Hours -0.6%
1998 1,666 Hours +0.5%
1999 1,687 Hours +1.3%
2000 1,683 Hours -0.3%
2001 1,644 Hours -2.3%
2002 1,622 Hours -1.3%
2003 1,635 Hours +0.8%
2004 1,665 Hours +1.8%
2005 1,660 Hours -0.3%
2006 1,650 Hours -0.6%
2007 1,640 Hours -0.6%
2008 1,630 Hours -0.6%
2009 1,622 Hours -0.5%
2010 1,624 Hours +0.2%
2011 1,619 Hours -0.3%
2012 1,603 Hours -1.0%
2013 1,583 Hours -1.3%
2014 1,575 Hours -0.5%
2015 1,589 Hours +0.9%
2016 1,590 Hours +0.0%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 1,590 Hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,713 Hours, 93% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 1,590 Hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,728 Hours, 92% of the median. (34 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1,995 Hours 1,917 Hours 2,082 Hours 10
1980s 1,835 Hours 1,791 Hours 1,901 Hours 10
1990s 1,693 Hours 1,658 Hours 1,781 Hours 10
2000s 1,645 Hours 1,622 Hours 1,683 Hours 10
2010s 1,598 Hours 1,575 Hours 1,624 Hours 7

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 27 Finland 1,635 Hours compare
  2. 28 Sweden 1,626 Hours compare
  3. 29 Austria 1,609 Hours compare
  4. 31 Belgium 1,546 Hours compare
  5. 32 Luxembourg 1,520 Hours compare
  6. 33 France 1,503 Hours compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland?
Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland was 1,590 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 2,082 Hours in 1970.
What is the lowest annual working hours per person employed recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,575 Hours in 2014.
How does Switzerland rank for annual working hours per person employed?
Switzerland ranks 30th out of 37 countries with data for 2016.
Is annual working hours per person employed rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Switzerland 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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Annual working hours per person employed in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/annual-working-hours-per-person-employed/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual working hours per person employed
Unit
Hours
Source
OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
38 places, 1,460 data points, 1970–2017
Last refreshed

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.