Cyprus recorded the second highest rate of overworked employees in the European Union in 2024, with 10% of people aged 20 to 64 working over 49 hours per week in their main job, according to new data from Eurostat. The island ranked just behind Greece, which topped the list with 12.4%.
The EU average stood at 6.6%, a figure that continues a decade-long downward trend from 9.8% in 2014 and 8.4% in 2019. The figures highlight a divide in working culture across the bloc, with southern European countries showing consistently higher levels of long working hours compared to their northern and eastern counterparts.
The lowest rates of overwork were observed in Bulgaria (0.4%), Latvia (1%), and Lithuania (1.4%). Eurostat also found that self-employed workers were far more likely to work excessive hours, with 27.5% working over 49 hours a week, compared to just 3.4% among salaried employees. Among professions, the most affected were skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers (26.2%) and managers (21.1%).
Feature photo source: Insperity
Also read: Cyprus: A Rising Hub for Digital Nomads
For more videos and updates, check out our YouTube channel.
