the French work less than their European neighbors, says the private Rexecode Institute

According to a study carried out by this organization, rather close to employers, this French particularity handicaps the country’s economy.

In Europe, France is the country that works the least, just after Finland. Full-time French workers work 1,664 hours a year compared to 1,792 hours on average in the rest of the continent. These figures are the results of a study carried out by Rexecode, a rather liberal organization, which compiled Eurostat data for 2022, therefore official data transmitted by each country.

The French work 65 hours less per year than the Spanish and up to three weeks less than the Germans. Those who work the most in Europe are the Romanians, the Poles and the Greeks. According to this institute, which is rather close to employers, this low working time can be explained by several factors. This is firstly due to the 35 hours, the effects of which are widely felt, more than 20 years after their implementation. Then, in addition to RTT, the French also have more paid leave. Finally, there has also been an increase in sick leave in recent years, which can be explained by the aging of the population.

Productivity decreases

Productivity and collective efficiency are decreasing, but the Rexecode study shows that France is one of the countries where there are large differences within the workforce. It is, in fact, one of the countries in Europe where there are the most “heavy workers”.

More than 10% of workers work almost 50 hours per week, or 10 hours per day. These are mainly self-employed people, business leaders, craftsmen, or even self-employed people, who are less well protected by the social model. This difference between employees and non-employees is observed in all countries, but the gap is particularly marked in France.

This study promises to be closely watched by politicians, as the government considers how to revive the economy. The objective is to achieve full employment at the end of the five-year term, namely an unemployment rate of around 5%, in particular through measures concerning the labor market, by establishing a new labor law from 2024, or equivalent of prescriptions.