Portugal Ranks Fourth in the EU for Long Working Hours, Randstad Study Finds

Nearly one in ten Portuguese workers regularly clocks 49 hours or more per week — placing Portugal fourth in the European Union for the share of employees working what the bloc defines as excessive hours, according to a new analysis by recruitment firm Randstad.

The study, based on Eurostat data from the final quarter of 2025, found that 9.1 per cent of Portuguese workers habitually exceed the 49-hour weekly threshold in their main job. That figure sits well above the EU average of 6.5 per cent and comfortably outpaces economies such as Germany (5 per cent) and Spain (6.3 per cent).

Only Greece (12.4 per cent), Cyprus (10 per cent), and France (9.7 per cent) recorded higher rates.

A Culture of Long Hours

Portugal's standard working week is 35 hours in the public sector and 40 hours in the private sector. Yet the Randstad data suggests a significant portion of the workforce routinely works far beyond those limits.

“Although there has been a reduction since 2000, Portugal maintains a culture of long hours above the European average,” the report states. The trend “disproportionately affects employers and the self-employed” — around 35 per cent of employers and 20 per cent of the self-employed were regularly working at least 49 hours per week in 2024, compared with roughly 6.8 per cent of salaried employees.

For the country's growing population of foreign residents — many of whom relocated expecting a better work-life balance — the numbers may come as a surprise. While Portugal's lifestyle is frequently marketed around its climate, coast, and quality of life, the workplace reality for many professionals involves hours that rival the EU's most demanding labour markets.

Better Qualified, Still Overworked

The Randstad study also highlights a dramatic improvement in workforce qualifications. The proportion of working-age Portuguese with higher education has tripled since 1992, rising from 11.4 per cent to 33.7 per cent by the end of 2024 — reaching 36.2 per cent by late 2025.

Even so, Portugal remains below the EU average of 39.2 per cent and ranks eighth from the bottom among member states. Ireland leads at 57.3 per cent, while Romania trails at 22.7 per cent.

More strikingly, Portugal still has the highest percentage of low-skilled professionals in the EU at 29.1 per cent — double the European average of 14.7 per cent. The coexistence of a rapidly improving qualification base with a persistently large low-skilled segment underscores the uneven nature of Portugal's labour market transformation.

A Growing Foreign Workforce

Foreign citizens now make up 7.9 per cent of Portugal's labour force, below the EU average of 10.5 per cent but representing a dramatic shift from just 1.4 per cent in 2000. The increase has accelerated sharply in the past two years, reflecting what Randstad describes as “the new dynamic of attracting talent and the growing importance of immigration for the sustainability of the Portuguese labour market.”

The data adds context to ongoing policy debates around Portugal's immigration reforms and the role of foreign workers in filling labour shortages across sectors from hospitality to technology.

The Bottom Line

Portugal's labour market is better educated and more international than at any point in its modern history. But the persistence of long working hours — at levels that place the country in the EU's top four — suggests that structural improvements in qualifications have not yet translated into the kind of productivity gains that would allow workers to achieve more in fewer hours. For residents and expats navigating the Portuguese job market, the message is clear: the pace of life may be relaxed outside the office, but inside it, long hours remain the norm.