Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment was 3,387 Persons in 2025. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2025)
3,387 Persons
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
8th
of 40 countries
All-time high
5,082 Persons
in 1997
All-time low
3,340 Persons
in 1983
Years of data
43
1983–2025

Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1983–2025

02.0k4.0k6.0k1983200420251983: 3.3k Persons1984: 3.5k Persons1985: 3.8k Persons1986: 4.0k Persons1987: 4.3k Persons1988: 4.7k Persons1989: 4.9k Persons1990: 4.9k Persons1991: 4.6k Persons1992: 4.5k Persons1993: 4.5k Persons1994: 4.7k Persons1995: 4.9k Persons1996: 5.0k Persons1997: 5.1k Persons1998: 5.1k Persons1999: 4.8k Persons2000: 4.7k Persons2001: 4.7k Persons2002: 4.5k Persons2003: 4.4k Persons2004: 4.3k Persons2005: 4.2k Persons2006: 4.1k Persons2007: 4.2k Persons2008: 4.2k Persons2009: 3.9k Persons2010: 3.9k Persons2011: 4.0k Persons2012: 4.0k Persons2013: 4.2k Persons2014: 4.4k Persons2015: 4.4k Persons2016: 4.5k Persons2017: 4.4k Persons2018: 4.3k Persons2019: 4.3k Persons2020: 3.8k Persons2021: 3.7k Persons2022: 3.7k Persons2023: 3.4k Persons2024: 3.4k Persons2025: 3.4k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 3,387 Persons for long usual weekly working hours β€” employment in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, long usual weekly working hours β€” employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 5,082 Persons in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3,340 Persons, in 1983.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8th out of 40 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4,060 Persons 3,340 Persons 4,874 Persons 7
1990s 4,797 Persons 4,459 Persons 5,082 Persons 10
2000s 4,331 Persons 3,928 Persons 4,715 Persons 10
2010s 4,238 Persons 3,902 Persons 4,478 Persons 10
2020s 3,574 Persons 3,387 Persons 3,842 Persons 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 5 Brazil 10,154 Persons compare
  2. 6 Japan 9,090 Persons compare
  3. 7 Colombia 4,894 Persons compare
  4. 9 South Africa 3,005 Persons compare
  5. 10 France 2,732 Persons compare
  6. 11 Argentina 2,257 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 56 places β†’

More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is long usual weekly working hours β€” employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Long usual weekly working hours β€” employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 3,387 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest long usual weekly working hours β€” employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5,082 Persons in 1997.
What is the lowest long usual weekly working hours β€” employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 3,340 Persons in 1983.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for long usual weekly working hours β€” employment?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 8th out of 40 countries with data for 2025.
Is long usual weekly working hours β€” employment rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/long-usual-weekly-working-hours-employment/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Long usual weekly working hours β€” Employment
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
56 places, 1,768 data points, 1976–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset contains data on employment by long hour bands (50 and over, 60 and over) for usual weekly hours worked in the main job. Actual hours of work instead of usual hours of work are only available in some countries (Japan and Korea). Data are broken down by professional status - employees, total employment - by sex and age groups. Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates.