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Yes, Americans are overworked, statistically speaking. Among the 38 developed countries that make up the OECD, the United States is the only country that has no statutory minimum days of annual leave from work. Other signs that Americans are overworked include:
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All OECD countries except the United States and South Korea have statutory paid sick leave policies for all full-time and most part-time and temporary employees.
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The average OECD country has 18.6 weeks of mandated paid maternity leave, with average payment rates ranging from 25% to 100% of the mother’s regular salary. The United States it the only OECD country with no mandated paid parental leave.
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In 1970, 31% of two-parent households in the U.S. had two parents working full time. In 2015, that was up to 46%.
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The average American worker works 1,791 hours per year, compared the OECD average of 1,715.8.
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10.4% of American adults work 50+ hours per week on average, the 11th highest among OECD countries and 49% higher than the bloc’s average
Days of Annual Leave in OECD Countries (Working Days)
| Country | Statutory Minimum | Public Holidays |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 28 | 8 |
| Luxembourg | 26 | 11 |
| Austria | 25 | 13 |
| Denmark | 25 | 11 |
| Finland | 25 | 11 |
| France | 25 | 11 |
| Sweden | 25 | 11 |
| Iceland | 24 | 12 |
| Malta | 24 | 14 |
| Portugal | 22 | 12 |
| Spain | 22 | 14 |
| Norway | 21 | 10 |
| Australia | 20 | 8 |
| Belgium | 20 | 10 |
| Czeck Republic | 20 | 13 |
| Estonia | 20 | 11 |
| Germany | 20 | 10-13 |
| Greece | 20 | 11 |
| Hungary | 20 | 11 |
| Ireland | 20 | 9 |
| Italy | 20 | 12 |
| Latvia | 20 | 12 |
| Netherlands | 20 | 9 |
| New Zealand | 20 | 11 |
| Poland | 20 | 12 |
| Slovak Republic | 20 | 15 |
| Slovenia | 20 | 12 |
| Switzerland | 20 | 9 |
| Bulgaria | 20 | 12 |
| Croatia | 20 | 13 |
| Cyprus | 20 | 14-17 |
| Lithuania | 20 | 12 |
| Romania | 20 | 13 |
| Chile | 15 | 15 |
| Korea | 15 | 15 |
| Israel | 12 | 9 |
| Turkey | 12 | 14 |
| Canada | 10 | 9 |
| Japan | 10 | 19 |
| Costa Rica | 10 | 11 |
| Mexico | 6 | 7 |
| United States | 0 | 10 |
Percentage of Employees Working an Average of 50+ Hours per Week in OECD Countries
| Country | Percentage Of Employees |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 27% |
| Turkey | 25% |
| Korea | 19.70% |
| Japan | 15.70% |
| South Africa | 15.40% |
| Israel | 14.10% |
| New Zealand | 14% |
| Australia | 12.50% |
| Iceland | 11.70% |
| United Kingdom | 10.80% |
| United States | 10.40% |
| Chile | 7.70% |
| France | 7.70% |
| Brazil | 5.60% |
| Portugal | 5.60% |
| Slovenia | 5.60% |
| Austria | 5.30% |
| Ireland | 4.70% |
| Czeck Republic | 4.50% |
| Greece | 4.50% |
| Belgium | 4.30% |
| Poland | 4.20% |
| Slovak Republic | 4.20% |
| Germany | 3.90% |
| Finland | 3.60% |
| Canada | 3.30% |
| Italy | 3.30% |
| Luxemourg | 2.80% |
| Spain | 2.50% |
| Estonia | 2.20% |
| Latvia | 1.60% |
| Hungary | 1.50% |
| Norway | 1.40% |
| Denmark | 1.10% |
| Sweden | 0.90% |
| Switzerland | 0.40% |
| Netherlands | 0.30% |
| Russia | 0.10% |
Is the U.S. the Most Overworked Country?
No, the U.S. is not the most overworked country by hours worked per employee. While 10.4% of Americans work an average of 50 or more hours per week, that’s nothing compared to the 27% of Mexican adults who work these long hours.
On top of this, workers in Mexico average 2,127.8 working hours per year, compared to America’s average of 1,791 annual work hours per worker.
However, by some metrics, the U.S. can be considered the most overworked country. For example, the U.S. is the only developed country in the world without mandated paid leave or mandated paid parental leave, and is one of only two countries to have no mandated paid sick leave.
References
Hours worked – OECD
Parental leave systems – OECD
Work-Life Balance – OECD
Raising Kids and Running a Household: How Working Parents Share the Load – Pew Research Center
Author
Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.
