The 50-hour work week: study shows Maltese are working longer hours than most
Eurostat study shows 14.6% work over 45 hours, while 8.5% work more than 50
Maltese workers are putting in longer hours than most of their EU counterparts, with almost one in ten clocking in more than 50 hours a week, new data shows.
According to Eurostat data for the second quarter of 2025, the highest proportion of people aged 20 to 64 who worked more than 50 hours a week was recorded in Greece (12.2%), followed by Poland (8.7%).
Malta, jointly with lreland, came in third with 8.5% of workers following this frazzled lifestyle.
The statistics include people working a main and, if applicable, second job.
A higher proportion or workers are clocking in more than 45 hours a week, with Malta (14.6%) coming in third behind workers in Greece (20.9%) and Cyprus (16.6%) and Malta (14.6%).
At the other end of the scale, the lowest rates were observed in Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%), and Romania (5.9%). Across the EU, an average of 10.8% of employed people aged 20 to 64 worked more than 45 hours per week in total.
A breakdown by hourly brackets shows that the majority of Maltese work 40 hours and over, as figures show that 46.9% work between 40 and 44 hours,14.6% work over 45 hours, with 8.5% working more than 50 hours.
A breakdown by hours shows that in Malta, 4.2% do not work, 4.1% work up to 19 hours, 8.9% work between 20 and 29 hours, 17.9% between 30 and 34 hours – ranking Malta second highest in this category following Czechia – 3.3% between 35 and 39 hours.
The report clarified that the number of hours refers to the total worked for the main and, if applicable, second job, combined during a survey reference week. This includes paid and unpaid extra hours but excludes commuting time, main meal breaks, and any absences such as holidays, sick leave, strikes, etc.
The figures echo the recent findings of a report launched on Monday by The Blossom Project, a Malta Trust Foundation iniative.
The report, which looked into data of children who made use of school counselling services, painted a picture of children facing issues of neglect and abandonment when spending long hours home alone as parents work long hours.
Speaking during the launch of the report the chair of the Mental Health Services Anton Grech remarked, “We are living in a time of timetables and slots. People talk about ‘quality time’ with kids, but we need to truly be with our children, not just schedule them into our lives. We have to live the journey together. Children feel this — we need a culture that reflects it.”