{ "title": "Dissecting the Decline in Average Hours Worked in Europe", "publication": "IMF Working Papers, January 12, 2024", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417", "canonical": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417", "overlayPath": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/index.md", "summary": "Three years after the COVID-19 crisis, employment and total hours worked in Europe fully recovered, but average hours per worker did not.", "sections": [ { "heading": "Key findings", "content": "- Three years after the COVID-19 crisis, employment and total hours worked in Europe fully recovered, but average hours per worker did not.\n- The decline in average hours worked:\n - (i) is not cyclical but predominantly structural, extending a long-term trend that predates COVID-19,\n - (ii) mainly reflects reduced hours within worker groups, not a compositional shift towards lower-hours jobs and workers,\n - (iii) is driven by men—particularly those with young children—and youth,\n - (iv) shows that declines in actual hours match declines in desired hours.\n- Overall assessment: there is scant evidence of slack at the intensive margin in European labor markets, and the trend fall in average hours worked seems unlikely to reverse." }, { "heading": "Drivers and distributional patterns", "content": "- Within-group reductions in hours are the main source of the decline, rather than changes in workforce composition.\n- Demographic and household characteristics matter:\n - Men, especially those with young children, are a primary contributor to the drop in average hours.\n - Youth also play a prominent role in driving the decline.\n- Actual and desired hours move together, indicating preferences or constraints have shifted alongside realized hours." }, { "heading": "Policy implications and quantitative impact", "content": "- Targeted policy reforms could raise actual hours towards desired levels for specific groups:\n - Reforms aimed at involuntary parttimers.\n - Reforms supporting women with young children.\n- Estimated aggregate impact of such reforms on average hours would be limited to 0.5 to 1.5 percent." }, { "heading": "Scope, methods, and publication notes", "content": "- Subject areas: Gender, Labor, Labor force participation, Labor markets, Labor supply, Population and demographics, Women.\n- Keywords used in the analysis include: Europe, full time worker, hours worked, Labor force participation, labor market, Labor markets, Labor supply, policy reform, scant evidence, summary statistics, Women, worker level, working hours.\n- Pages: 44.\n\nIMF Working Paper No. 2024/002 (January 12, 2024).\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Working Paper\n - Working Paper (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n - Working Paper (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417" } ], "bullets": [ "[Markdown version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/index.md)", "[Structured JSON version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/index.json)", "[Bundle manifest](/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/bundle-manifest.json)", "Authors: Diva Astinova, Romain A Duval, Niels-Jakob H Hansen, Ben Park, Ippei Shibata, Frederik G Toscani", "Published: January 12, 2024", "Series: IMF Working Papers", "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400261183.001", "Three years after the COVID-19 crisis, employment and total hours worked in Europe fully recovered, but average hours per worker did not.", "The decline in average hours worked:", "Overall assessment: there is scant evidence of slack at the intensive margin in European labor markets, and the trend fall in average hours worked seems unlikely to reverse.", "Within-group reductions in hours are the main source of the decline, rather than changes in workforce composition.", "Demographic and household characteristics matter:", "Actual and desired hours move together, indicating preferences or constraints have shifted alongside realized hours.", "Targeted policy reforms could raise actual hours towards desired levels for specific groups:", "Estimated aggregate impact of such reforms on average hours would be limited to 0.5 to 1.5 percent.", "Subject areas: Gender, Labor, Labor force participation, Labor markets, Labor supply, Population and demographics, Women.", "Keywords used in the analysis include: Europe, full time worker, hours worked, Labor force participation, labor market, Labor markets, Labor supply, policy reform, scant evidence, summary statistics, Women, worker level, working hours.", "Pages: 44.", "**Working Paper**" ], "related": [ { "title": "Working Paper", "role": "paper", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2024/english/wpiea2024002-print-pdf.pdf", "summary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2024/english/wpiea2024002-print-pdf.pdf.md", "mime": "text/markdown" }, "binary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2024/english/wpiea2024002-print-pdf.pdf", "mime": "application/pdf" } } ], "alternates": { "markdown": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/index.md", "json": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/index.json", "bundleManifest": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2024/01/10/dissecting-the-decline-in-average-hours-worked-in-europe-542417/bundle-manifest.json" }, "generatedAtUtc": "2026-09-16T23:29:37.172Z" }