Average weekly hours worked on the main job in Poland 2000-2022

Over the period observed, the weekly average working time fell by a total of 0.6 hours, peaking at 40.3 weekly working hours in 2002 and reaching 39.5 hours in 2022.

How much do Poles work?

Poles have the average duration of working life in the European Union, working 34.6 years on average. For comparison, the EU average amounted to 36.5 years. However, they are among the busier nations in Europe, working an average of nearly 41 hours per week. In 2022, nearly all countries in the region worked longer during the week than the average for the 27 countries of the European Union. The longest annual working hours were in Hungary and Poland, with 1,848 hours, when the EU average amounted to 1,703 hours. In 2021, 63 percent of Poles worked 7-8 hours a day, while 21 percent worked even 10 hours a day or longer.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, the average number of hours worked in the primary job in Poland amounted to nearly 39 hours per week. In that period, persons employed in the private sector worked nearly two hours longer than in the public sector. Poles spent the most time working in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry, over 41 hours per week.

Accidents at work

In 2022, more than 66.6 thousand people were reported injured in accidents at work (3.2 percent less than in 2021), of which 180 people were fatally injured. In 2020, the decrease in the number of people injured was influenced by the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many areas, restrictions were imposed, and where the nature of the work allowed it, employers directed their employees to work remotely. In 2022, as in previous years, accidents were most common among men and those between 30 and 49 years.
Most causes of accidents at work were improper behavior of the employee. A worker's failure to use protective equipment was the least common cause of accidents. In 2022, among those injured in occupational accidents, workers suffered wounds and superficial injuries, dislocations, sprains, twists, strains, and bone fractures. Considering the location of the injury, injured persons most often suffered injuries to the extremities.