Austria labor data shows high working hours and unpaid overtime

Full-time employees in Austria are working significantly longer hours than the EU average, according to data from the Chamber of Labor. The average work week for Austrian employees stands at 40.7 hours.

In 2025, an estimated 45.9 million hours of overtime and extra work went unpaid or uncompensated with time off, resulting in a total loss of over 2.5 billion euros for employees. The Chamber of Labor and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) are advocating for shorter working hours.

Research indicates that long working hours impact health and safety. Concentration levels decrease after eight hours, and the risk of injury triples after the twelfth hour of work. Furthermore, employees working more than 64 hours per week face an 88 percent higher risk of accidents compared to those working a 40-hour week. AK President Renate Anderl has stated that the statutory 40-hour standard is outdated, noting that increased productivity has not been reflected in the statutory weekly model.