An analysis of hours worked per worker in Spain: trends and recent developments

Rationale Changes in working hours are one of the factors that determine the contribution of labour to an economy’s growth. It is therefore worth assessing whether the moderate downward trend observed in this variable over the last four decades is likely to persist. Takeaways •The fall in average wo...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Cuadrado, Pilar
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Banco de España
Repositorio:Repositorio Institucional del Banco de España
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.bde.es:123456789/29733
Acceso en línea:https://repositorio.bde.es/handle/123456789/29733
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Employment
Working hours
Historical trend
Pandemic
Relaciones laborales
Mercado de trabajo
J21
J22
J81
Descripción
Sumario:Rationale Changes in working hours are one of the factors that determine the contribution of labour to an economy’s growth. It is therefore worth assessing whether the moderate downward trend observed in this variable over the last four decades is likely to persist. Takeaways •The fall in average working hours in Spain between 1987 and 2019 (from 37 to 31.8 hours per week) reflects a range of structural changes in the economy over that period, such as the increase in the weight of the services sector and the rise in part-time work. •The pandemic accelerated the decline in average working hours, although the most recent data point to a recovery. Nonetheless, overall, the working week is now just over one hour shorter than before the health crisis. The sectors most affected were the contact-intensive ones. Working hours in trade still fall some way short of their historical trend. •Looking ahead, factors such as demographic ageing, the increasing weight of the services sector and the rise in the part-time employment rate suggest that the downward trend in hours worked per worker could continue.