Nicosia, Cyprus. The working week in Cyprus remains longer than the European Union average, according to new Eurostat data showing a continued gap between the island’s labour market and the bloc as a whole.
Weekly hours in Cyprus
Eurostat’s 2025 employment report put the average actual weekly working hours in Cyprus at 37.7 hours. That compares with an EU average of 35.9 hours for workers aged 20 to 64 in their main job during the same period.
EU trend and country comparisons
The latest figures also point to a broader decline in average labour duration across the EU, with the bloc-wide figure falling from 36.9 hours in 2015.
Greece recorded the longest working week in the EU at 39.6 hours, followed by Bulgaria and Poland at 38.7 hours, and Lithuania at 38.4 hours. The Netherlands had the shortest working week at 31.9 hours, while Denmark and Germany each recorded 33.9 hours and Austria 34.0 hours.
Sector differences
By occupation, skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers had the longest average working week at 42.0 hours. Managers followed at 40.6 hours, and members of the armed forces occupations averaged 39.4 hours.
At the other end of the scale, elementary occupations had the shortest average week at 31.8 hours. Clerical support workers averaged 34.0 hours, while service and sales workers averaged 34.5 hours.
