The average working week in Flanders in 2024 decreased to 36.8 hours, marking the lowest total in at least 25 years, according to the latest figures from Statistiek Vlaanderen.
This figure represents the professional working hours of the active population, considering only their main job, whether employees or self-employed, and excluding any additional activities.
The average hours dropped from 37 in 2023 to 36.8 in 2024, the lowest level since at least 1999, which recorded 37.6 hours. In 2002, the average was 38.7 hours.
Last year, men in northern Belgium worked an average of 39.8 hours per job, down from 41.9 hours a decade ago. Women’s average working hours remained relatively stable at 33.6 hours during this period.
Full-time workers had an average workweek of 41.8 hours last year, compared to 43.2 hours ten years ago. Self-employed individuals averaged 46.1 hours weekly, while full-time employees worked 40.1 hours.
The most significant drop was seen among the self-employed, whose weekly hours decreased dramatically from 53.7 a decade ago to 46.1 last year.
