Greeks among EU’s hard workers
Greeks have longer working weeks than many of their European peers, with one in four working more than 10 hours per day, according to a study made public yesterday. The study, put together by researchers Eurofound, found that Greeks work an average of 45.4 hours per week versus a European Union average of 38.4 hours. Based on trends in the labor market, working hours in the 27-nation bloc have been decreasing in the last 15 years – but not in Greece. Nearly 26 percent of Greeks work at least 10 hours per day more than five times a month, the study shows, versus 16.9 percent of people in the EU as a whole. According to national law, employees work a 40-hour workweek. Low pay scales and a growing amount of part-time work are forcing many people to seek more than one form of employment to make ends meet in a development that has upped total work hours. The increase in part-time employment, however, has also helped reduce the country’s jobless figures in recent years. Unemployment was at 7.3 percent in June, down from 11.2 percent in 2004. The change in the length of the workweek has started to take its toll on the health of workers. About 68 percent of Greeks believe their work has harmed their health, versus 25 percent in the EU. Among the most common health problems linked to adverse work conditions are back problems and stress. Additionally, Greek employees take off half the number of sick days taken by their peers in the 27-nation bloc in a pattern that has continued for the last 15 years, according to the study. Lack of flexibility in workplace hours is another source of concern for local workers. The study showed Greeks have limited room to change their work schedules, which causes problems in balancing professional and social lives. The only other countries found to be worse off in terms of lack of flexibility are Cyprus and Bulgaria. Eurofound is scheduled to present the results of its latest research on Greece in comparison with the other 26 countries in the European Union in Athens on Monday and Tuesday.
