Report: U.S. working more hours, world working fewer

WASHINGTON – For the second year in a row, the average number of hours worked by Americans has increased.

However, while nations like the U.S. and Spain upped their time at work, the average for developed countries actually fell, according to 24/7 Wall St.

The new information released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is based on employment data from their member countries, and 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the 10 countries with the fewest hours worked.

The United States — where people worked an average of 34.5 hours per week in 2011 — didn’t make the list, which is below:

  • 10. United Kingdom: 31 hours worked a week
  • 9. Finland: 30.3 hours worked a week
  • 8. Luxembourg: 30.1 hours worked a week
  • 7. Denmark: 28.8 hours worked a week
  • 6. Ireland: 28.3 hours worked a week
  • 5. Belgium: 27.8 hours worked a week
  • 4. Austria: 27.5 hours worked a week
  • 3. France: 26.8 hours worked a week
  • 2. Netherlands: 25.7 hours worked a week
  • 1. Germany: 25.6 hours worked a week

WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report. Follow John and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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