"Working more hours means earning more"
Those who work most in Europe do not earn the most. Quite the opposite.
Hours worked vs Annual salary (EU)
Sources: Eurostat — nama_10_fte · Eurostat — lfsa_ewhan2
If more hours = higher pay, the dots would go up to the right.
They go down.
Spain in the chart
Spain
1908h
32.600€
17.1€/h
Germany
1778h
51.000€
28.7€/h
Netherlands
1643h
42.000€
25.6€/h
Spain works +130h more per year than Germany. But earns -18.400€ less.
The extremes
Most hours worked
Polonia
2070h/year
18.100€
Fewest hours worked
Países Bajos
1643h/year
42.000€
Países Bajos works 427h fewer per year. Earns 23.900€ more.
Why this happens
Wages don't depend on hours. They depend on what you produce per hour.
High-productivity countries work fewer hours and earn more. Low-productivity countries work more hours and earn less.
Spain produces 76% of what the Euro zone produces per hour. That's why more hours don't compensate.
About this data
- * Annual salary adjusted to full-time equivalent (converts part-time to full-time equivalent)
- * Hours worked include employees and self-employed
- * The correlation between hours and wages is negative in the EU
- * Countries with more hours tend to have lower wages
More hours don't guarantee more pay.
They guarantee more hours.