Overview
- Drawing on Eurostat data, the study reports French workers averaged 1,105 hours in 2024, 107 fewer than in Germany and below the EU average of 1,189.
- For full‑time employees, France registers 1,664 hours a year (32 hours a week), the third‑lowest figure in the EU.
- Rexecode attributes roughly half of the France–Germany gap to non‑working leave of 4.4 weeks in France versus 2.9 in Germany, with other absences contributing a smaller difference.
- Across all employees, including part‑time, effective working time averages 30 hours a week in France (1,545 annually) versus 29 in Germany (1,518).
- The report recommends raising employment to bolster output, estimating up to about four million additional jobs if France matched top EU employment rates, noting a recent proposal to add 12 annual hours was rejected by deputies.