More than half of Dutch people work full-time

© CBS / Nikki van Toorn
In 2019, just over half of the Dutch working population had a working week of 35 hours or more. Approximately 8 percent worked more than 40 hours per week on average. Managers and agricultural workers are most likely to put in more than 40 hours. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on new figures from the Labour Force Survey.

Last year, there were 9.0 million people in work in the Netherlands. At 31 hours, the average working week has been relatively stable for a decade. 4.6 million people were working full-time, i.e. 35 hours or more in the context of this survey. Employees working full-time are most likely to work between 35 and 40 hours per week. Self-employed persons are more likely to work over 40 hours per week. For example, one-third of the self-employed indicated in 2019 that they worked 40 hours per week, versus 3 percent of the employees.

Number of hours worked per week, 2019
WerkweekTotal (% of employed labour force)Employees (% of employed labour force)Self-employed (% of employed labour force)
0 to 12 hrs10.610.510.6
12 to 20 hrs7.58.14.7
20 to 28 hrs14.014.710.2
28 to 35 hrs17.018.012.0
35 to 41 hrs42.745.329.8
41 hrs or more8.23.332.8

Over one-quarter of women work full-time

In 2019, 27 percent of women worked full-time, i.e. 24 percent among employees and 41 percent among self-employed. This means that the share of full-time female workers has increased in recent years. In 2016, this share stood at 25 percent. In the same period, the proportion of full-time male workers fell from 74 to 72 percent. The gap between full-time employees and self-employed is narrower among men than among women. Not only are men more likely to work full-time than women, they are also more likely to put in over 40 hours per week.

Number of hours worked per week, 2019
WerkweekWomen (% of employed labour force)Men (% of employed labour force)
0 to 12 hrs13.18.3
12 to 20 hrs11.73.9
20 to 28 hrs24.35.0
28 to 35 hrs24.410.6
35 to 41 hrs23.160.0
41 hrs or more3.512.3

45 to 54-year-olds most likely to work over 40 hours

In all age categories between 25 and 64 years, more than half are full-time workers. At 61 percent, the proportion of full-time workers is highest among 25 to 34-year-olds. Young people and the over-65s, on the other hand, are more likely to have part-time jobs. The share working more than 40 hours per week is highest among 45 to 54-year-olds, namely 11 percent.

Number of hours worked per week, by age, 2019
Werkweek0 to 12 hrs (%)12 to 20 hrs (%)20 to 28 hrs (%)28 to 35 hrs (%)35 to 41 hrs (%)41 hrs or more (%)
15 to 24 yrs42.515.39.810.719.32.4
25 to 34 yrs3.34.711.819.153.77.5
35 to 44 yrs2.55.115.719.448.39.0
45 to 54 yrs3.25.815.317.847.010.8
55 to 64 yrs5.67.916.217.642.99.8
65 to 74 yrs36.114.616.310.416.75.9

85 percent of managers working full-time

The top 5 occupations with the highest share of full-time workers are managers (85 percent) and occupations in ICT, engineering, public administration, security and legal services, and agriculture. The lowest proportion of full-time workers can be found in education, care and welfare and in services. For example, 10 percent of caregivers and 37 percent of teachers work full-time. These are also professions with a large number of female workers. Occupations with the highest rate of persons working over 40 hours are those in the agricultural sector (31 percent) and managers (23 percent).

Share of full-time workers per occupational class, 2019
Beroepsklasse35 to 41 hrs (%)41 hrs or more (%)
Managers61.923.2
ICT-related occupations71.26.2
Technical occupations66.610.3
Occupations in public administration61.46.5
Agricultural occupations35.631.0
Other occupational classes51.19.0
Creative and linguistic occupations40.812.9
Operational and administrative occupations47.95.3
Occupations in transport and logistics38.17.9
Commercial occupations35.97.5
Educational occupations26.65.0
Occupations in care and welfare22.35.1
Service-providing occupations20.55.0