Inside Europe’s shortest workweek

Inside Europe’s shortest workweek

From Reuters Econ World by Reuters

May 20, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

This episode explores the impact of shorter workweeks in the Netherlands and whether other countries could adopt similar practices.

People in the Netherlands on average spend less time working than any other advanced country - just 32 hours a week. Could the rest of the world follow their lead? On this week’s episode of Econ World, guest host Ethan Plotkin meets workers in Amsterdam who have Fridays off and speaks with the chief economist at the Dutch Statistics Office to hear how shorter work hours are impacting the economy. Sign up for the ⁠Reuters Econ World ⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Catch Reuters Morning Bid ⁠here⁠ For information on our privacy and data protection practices visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Further listening Labor market limbo Interview with European Central Bank chief economist Philip Lane Live podcast: The affordability gap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Ethan Plotkin

Topics covered

  • workweek
  • economy
  • labor market
  • Netherlands
  • shorter hours

Keywords

  • workweek
  • Netherlands
  • Ethan Plotkin
  • economy
  • shorter hours
  • labor market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dutch Statistics Office

Places: Netherlands, Amsterdam

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