In 2024, workers in Serbia averaged 41.3 hours per week, significantly higher than the EU average of 36 hours. Serbia ranks second in Europe for the longest working week, just behind Turkey, and exceeds neighboring countries like Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Experts explain that Serbia’s longer working hours are mainly due to low productivity and weak labor rights protection. Many workers perform unpaid or poorly paid overtime. Low wages also contribute, as some people work longer to supplement income, though wage increases are often offset by inflation.
The high average is also influenced by Serbia’s employment structure, with a large share (about 13%) working in agriculture and many self-employed. Agricultural and self-employed workers tend to work longer hours due to the nature of their jobs and additional administrative duties. Serbia’s agriculture is less modernized, requiring more work time.
Additionally, Serbia counts rest breaks within working hours, unlike many Western European countries where contracts specify net working hours excluding breaks. Flexible working models that support work-life balance, common in richer countries, are less prevalent in Serbia, with men and women working roughly equal hours.
Overall, longer working hours are typical in poorer countries with lower productivity, while richer countries work fewer hours due to automation and higher efficiency.
A positive trend in 2024 is that Serbians worked the least weekly hours in the past decade, compared to peaks in 2015 and 2021 when average weekly hours reached 42.3.
