Annual working hours per worker in Canada
Canada: Annual working hours per worker was 1,731 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in Canada, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in Canada is 1,731 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Canada peaked at 3,102 hours per worker in 1900 and was at its lowest, 1,626 hours per worker, in 2020.
Canada ranks 90th of 130 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2,845 hours per worker | 2,845 hours per worker | 2,845 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,934 hours per worker | 2,934 hours per worker | 2,934 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 3,017 hours per worker | 3,017 hours per worker | 3,017 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 3,102 hours per worker | 3,102 hours per worker | 3,102 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,868 hours per worker | 2,868 hours per worker | 2,868 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,354 hours per worker | 2,354 hours per worker | 2,354 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,212 hours per worker | 2,212 hours per worker | 2,212 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 2,188 hours per worker | 2,135 hours per worker | 2,241 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 2,051 hours per worker | 1,970 hours per worker | 2,121 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,903 hours per worker | 1,863 hours per worker | 1,953 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,838 hours per worker | 1,812 hours per worker | 1,860 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,832 hours per worker | 1,820 hours per worker | 1,845 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,781 hours per worker | 1,738 hours per worker | 1,826 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,751 hours per worker | 1,738 hours per worker | 1,764 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,698 hours per worker | 1,626 hours per worker | 1,731 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- 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+) 64.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 60.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Canada?
- Annual working hours per worker in Canada was 1,731 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 3,102 hours per worker in 1900.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,626 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Canada ranks 90th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.