South Korea records sixth-longest OECD work hours

South Korean employees worked an average of 1,833 hours last year, the sixth-highest annual total among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. They also logged more than 500 additional hours over the course of the year compared with workers in Germany, which had the shortest average working hours in the OECD.

OECD data showed South Koreans worked an average of 1,833 hours last year, 97 hours above the 36-member average of 1,736. Only five countries recorded longer working hours: Mexico at 2,205 hours, Costa Rica at 2,183, Chile at 1,912, Greece at 1,874 and Israel at 1,870.

Most advanced economies reported significantly shorter working hours than South Korea. Employees averaged 1,800 hours a year in the United States, 1,633 in Australia, 1,598 in Japan and 1,533 in the United Kingdom, a difference of between 33 and 300 hours. Germany posted the widest gap, with employees working an average of 1,332 hours, or 501 fewer than in South Korea. Measured against an eight-hour workday, South Koreans effectively worked 63 more days a year than their German counterparts.

The country's working hours, however, have steadily declined over the past decade. The trend has been attributed to the adoption of the five-day workweek and the expansion of substitute public holidays. Average annual working hours fell from 2,163 in 2010 to 2,082 in 2015, then dipped below 2,000 for the first time in 2018 after the 52-hour weekly workweek cap was introduced, reaching 1,992 hours. Last year's figure was 32 hours lower than the 1,865 hours recorded in 2024.

The government is seeking to bring annual working hours down to the OECD average, into the 1,700-hour range, by 2030 through a roadmap that includes the introduction of a 4.5-day workweek. It has also issued guidelines to curb the misuse of inclusive wage contracts that can leave overtime unpaid and is pursuing legislation widely known as the "no KakaoTalk after work" bill to discourage unnecessary work-related messages after employees leave the office.