New data from Eurostat reveals that the average Czech employee works 37.8 hours per week — nearly four hours more than workers in Germany or Austria.

Over the course of a year, that adds up to 200 extra hours, or five additional full working weeks.

Yet despite the longer hours, Czech wages remain far lower than those in neighboring countries.

“Over a lifetime, a Czech worker puts in several more years of labor compared to someone in Germany,” said Jiří Vaňásek, Vice-Chair of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions.

In fact, when those weekly differences are accumulated across a working life, the gap becomes hard to ignore: Czechs can expect to work around four years longer than Germans — and some union estimates suggest the gap may be even wider due to older baseline data and changing trends in working hours.

Long Hours, Low Wages

The average Czech working life spans about 38 years, though this can vary based on education. And the compensation doesn’t match the time invested.

A 2024 report from Mazars shows the average private-sector monthly wage in the Czech Republic was CZK 46,557, compared to CZK 116,682 in Germany and CZK 126,125 in Austria (converted from euros).

According to Petr Dufek, chief economist at Creditas Bank, there are structural reasons for this imbalance.

“There’s never been a real push for work-life balance in the Czech Republic,” said Dufek. “We’re taught from early on that the day means eight hours of work, and we stick to that. Only forward-thinking companies try to get strong performance with shorter hours.”

Hardest Working Industries

Eurostat’s 2024 comparison found that Greece (39.8 hours), Bulgaria (39.0), and Poland (38.9) had the longest working weeks in the EU. The Netherlands recorded the shortest at 32.1 hours, followed by Denmark, Germany, and Austria, each below 34 hours.

Back home, the Czech Republic has seen gradual change: in 2008, the average workweek was 41.5 hours; by 2014, it dropped to 39.4 hours; today, it’s at 37.8.

Still, many workers — especially in household services like cleaners and handymen — work far more. This group logs nearly 47 hours per week, followed by those in construction and agriculture, both topping 40 hours. The shortest workweeks are in education (35.3 hours) and administrative roles (35.4 hours).

In contrast, other countries are testing shorter work weeks. A UK trial of the four-day workweek showed promising results — and every company involved has opted to continue the model.

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