Finance — Business

Overtime work is not a common practice among Romanians, as reported by Eurostat

Romania stands among EU countries with the smallest percentage of employees working beyond regular hours, as indicated by Eurostat data. This means that in 2024, merely 1.8% of Romanian employees between the ages of 20 and 64 admitted to working overtime. This figure puts Romania in a favorable...

, and Administrator

2025 September 12 . 12:12 AM

1 min read

Romanian workers do not put in extra hours, according to a Eurostat report

Overtime work is not a common practice among Romanians, as reported by Eurostat

Romania stands out among European countries for having one of the lowest shares of employees working overtime. According to data from Eurostat, the European statistics office, only 1.8% of Romanian employees aged between 20 and 64 reported working overtime in 2024. This is almost four times lower than the European Union average of 6.6%.

Eurostat defines long working hours as a schedule of workers who usually spend 49 hours or more per week at work. This definition was used in the analysis of overtime rates across Europe.

In comparison, countries like Cyprus and France have over 9% of employees working overtime. Greece, on the other hand, has a higher percentage at 12.4%.

The low overtime rate in Romania can be attributed to several factors. Legal regulations strictly limit overtime work, requiring employer permission and just cause for overtime, as well as collective agreements that set clear rules and higher pay rates for overtime. This may discourage excessive overtime.

Additionally, Romania's labor market conditions and wage structures likely play a role in minimizing the need or incentive for overtime work. A high share of employees in the budgetary sector, where salaries are often regulated, may be a factor in this.

However, other factors contributing to low overtime in Romania may be informal arrangements between employers and employees.

Ziarul Financiar, a Romanian news outlet, reported that at the EU level, 6.6% of employees worked long hours in 2024. This underscores the significant difference between Romania and other European countries in terms of overtime rates.

In conclusion, Romania's low overtime rates can be attributed to a combination of legal restrictions, labor market conditions, and wage structures. This is a noteworthy distinction in the European context, where long working hours are more common.