5 Countries With The Shortest Working Hours in the World

3. Germany

Average Annual Work Hours: 1386

Starting from March 4, 2024, all employees in Germany are required by law to officially record their working hours. This mandate follows a ruling from Germany’s Federal Labour Court (BAG), aimed at ensuring accurate tracking of work hours. Employers must establish a time tracking system to facilitate this process, enabling employees to log their actual hours worked. The introduction of this system responds to concerns regarding unpaid overtime, with statistics indicating a significant amount of unpaid work in the country. The new regulation applies universally, ending previous trust-based arrangements between employers and employees, except for specific cases such as minimum wage employees and certain industries with exploitative practices.