Average weekly working hours in Denmark 2018, by broad occupation

Employees responsible for the transportation of goods worked the most hours in Denmark, reaching nearly 42.6 weekly hours in 2018. By comparison, hospital personnel worked 36.5 hours on average every week, while employees in the restaurant and bar industry worked 31.5 hours on a weekly basis. The second-most employees in Denmark work in the trade and transport industry, counting around 663 thousand employees in the second quarter of 2020.

Busiest occupations

When comparing the weekly working hours in Denmark for specific job types, truck drivers notably work the most, reaching 46.5 hours on a weekly basis in 2018. Other busy occupations included executives and day care workers, with 44.8 weekly hours each. In contrast, nurses and pedagogues were found in the other end of the spectrum. While the average weekly working hours counted 35.3 for nurses, pedagogues worked one hour less with 34.3 hours on average.

37-hour work week

The most common length of a work week in Denmark was 37 hours, for those working under a common agreement. Indeed, close to 35 percent of the Danish labor force worked 37 hours on a weekly basis in 2018. Despite working fewer hours than many of its neighboring countries, 15 percent of Danes expressed a desire to work less in 2019. This was especially the case among people with a higher education and for 35- to 44-year-olds.