Who works the most in Albania? Eurostat: We work almost 6.7 hours more than Europeans. Production and construction “record”

The Albanian labor market is showing signs of easing the weekly workload, but we still remain among the nations that spend more time in offices, factories and construction sites compared to Europe. According to the latest data from the Institute of Statistics, the current average weekly working hours for salaried employees fell to 42.6 hours in 2025, from 43.6 hours, which was the average a year ago.
Although this decline suggests some kind of regulation or formalization of the market, the gap with the European Union remains high. Parallel Eurostat data for 2025 show that the average working week at EU level lasts only 35.9 hours. This means that an employee in Albania works on average 6.7 hours more per week than a European. The difference becomes even more tangible if we compare it with the Netherlands, the country with the shortest week at only 31.9 hours, while Greece holds the European record with 39.6 working hours, again significantly below the Albanian average.
Production and Construction hold the "record", Administration drops below 40 hours
Within the Albanian economy, the private industrial sector continues to bear the brunt of long working hours. The Manufacturing sector tops the list for 2025 with an average of 45.8 hours per week, followed closely by Construction with 45.1 hours and the Trade, Transport and Hospitality sectors with 44.5 hours.
On the other hand, Public Administration and Social Services recorded the largest decrease in workload, dropping to 38.5 hours per week, from 40.0 hours in 2024. This remains the only sector in the country that is positioned below average, creating a strong contrast with the pace of the private sector.
The agricultural anomaly and the gender gap
Detailed analysis of the data by gender reveals some specific dynamics. Although the decline in hours has affected both sides, men work longer hours, averaging 44.0 hours per week, compared to women, who work 41.1 hours per week.
The most interesting development has been recorded in the Agriculture sector. While in total, the sector remained almost unchanged, men in agriculture increased their working hours to 46.7 per week. In contrast, women in the same sector had a strong pullback, dropping to 38.9 hours. Meanwhile, also among women, but this time in Public Administration, the historical minimum of the market is also recorded with only 37.4 working hours per week throughout the year 2025.


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