South-Africa: The Economist: How many hours should employees work?

Published on

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10 Dec 2025, 9:22 am

Key topics: Global average workweek is 42 hours, varying by gender, age, and economy.

Optimal work hours differ: Europeans prefer less, Americans seek more pay.

Productivity, safety, and work quality guide decisions on hours worked.

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From The Economist, published under licence. The original article can be found on 
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