Work Across the EU: Jobs, pay and time off
Publication Date/Time
2025-11-13T11:30:00+00:00
Country
Europe
A data-driven look at employment sectors, working hours, pay and leave
entitlements across the EU
How many hours do Europeans actually work? Who earns the most for
their time and who enjoys the longest holidays? Which sectors form the
backbone of employment in each Member State? 

One may think that across Europe people’s working lives should be
quite similar, but the data uncovers a striking diversity. From
factories in central Europe to hospitals in the Nordic countries, from
tourism in the south to tech and finance hubs in the west, the rhythm
of work varies as much as the cultures and economies themselves. 

This data story uses open data to uncover how Europeans work, earn and
rest. It looks at the sectors that employ the most people, compares
working hours and wages across industries and reveals how much paid
time off workers enjoy in different Member States. Together, these
insights paint a picture of what a typical job means across the EU and
how the balance between time worked and free time differs from one
Member State to another. 

 

_IN WHAT SECTORS DO EUROPEANS WORK THE MOST?_ 

A country’s job mix says a lot about its economy and its society.
Open data on employment by sector shows what drives national economies
and what people across Europe do during their working lives. 

Across the EU, four sectors employ more than half of all workers:
MANUFACTURING (17 %), HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (13 %), WHOLESALE AND
RETAIL TRADE (13 %) AND EDUCATION (9 %). The map below highlights
the main sector in each Member State, revealing distinct regional
patterns. 

In CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE, including Italy, the Baltic states and
much of the Balkans, manufacturing dominates. These economies are
anchored in industry, exports and long traditions of engineering. 

IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE, from the Nordic countries to France
and the Netherlands, health and social care provides the largest share
of jobs, reflecting strong public-service systems, possibly in
combination with ageing populations. 

A third group, INCLUDING IRELAND, SPAIN AND CYPRUS, sees wholesale and
retail trade as the dominant employment sector. These are
service-oriented economies where SMEs in retail and hospitality are
widespread and tourism-related demand is significant, especially for
Spain and Cyprus. 

GREECE stands out with accommodation and food services being its
biggest employer – something that is rare elsewhere in the EU,
where this sector accounts for only 4 % of jobs. However, it
reflects Greece’s major reliance on tourism, particularly during the
summer season. 

These contrasts show how employment structures mirror geography,
demography and history. Recognising them helps explain why working
life can feel so different from one country to another, even within
the European Union.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20251107_Top%20economic%20activities.png]
FIGURE 1: LARGEST EMPLOYMENT SECTOR IN EACH MEMBER STATE (2022) 

_Source_: Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses22_54/default/table?lang=en]
/ data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/zvczfi07klk2v7inzqjsnw?locale=en]. 

 

_WHERE DO EUROPEANS WORK THE MOST – AND HOW MUCH DO THEY EARN?_ 

Across Europe, not all jobs are equal. Some employ millions but pay
modestly; others pay far more but account for only a small share of
the workforce. Open data on average paid hours and gross hourly
earnings reveals how work and pay diverge across sectors and Member
States. 

As FIGURE 2.1 shows, most Europeans work in mid-pay sectors such as
manufacturing, trade, public administration, health and social care or
education_. _In these areas, people put in roughly 150–170 hours per
month for EUR 18–25 per hour on average. 

LOWER-PAY SERVICE SECTORS, such as accommodation and food services,
administrative support, or construction record the smallest wages
(under EUR 20 per hour on average across Member States). These
sectors typically employ a larger share of workers in roles requiring
low or medium qualifications, often involving shift or seasonal work.
This contributes to lower average earnings and, in some cases, low
paid hours. 

HIGH-PAY SPECIALIST SECTORS including finance, information and
communication, scientific services and energy stand apart. They
combine standard working hours with average hourly earnings that can
exceed EUR 30–35 per hour, but they employ comparatively few
people. 

FIGURE 2.2 reveals that wage gaps are far wider between Member States
than between sectors. Average hourly pay for similar roles can differ
by more than a factor of 10 across the EU. The best-paid jobs overall
appear in education_ _in Luxembourg and the arts_ _in Denmark,
illustrating how national wage structures can outweigh sector
averages. 

Taken together, the data points to two main conclusions: sectors
employing the most people usually offer average wages, while
high-income sectors remain relatively small. In addition, earning
potential depends less on what people do than where they do it. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20251107_Hours%20%26%20earnings_b.png]
FIGURE 2: AVERAGE PAID HOURS PER MONTH AND GROSS HOURLY EARNINGS BY
SECTOR, EU (2022) 

_Source_: Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses22_49/default/table?lang=en] /
data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/4k3xttrpznbyfgrcxww?locale=en];
Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses22_50/default/table?lang=en] /
data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/w5tgd4h41pom5oeybqndq?locale=en]. 

 

_WHO ENJOYS THE MOST TIME OFF IN THE EU?_ 

Time away from work
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/high-value-datasets/everyones-busy-but-not-equally.html]
is essential for maintaining balance – giving people the chance to
recharge
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/leisure-europe-insights-open-data],
spend time with family and friends or simply step back from daily
routine. Yet across the EU, paid time off varies widely depending on
national rules, workplace practices and collective agreements. 

FIGURE 3 compares the total baseline number of paid annual leave
days and public holidays across EU Member States and Norway, based on
the latest comparable data. Malta, Denmark and Germany top the list
with around 40 to 42 days off per year. 

If we exclude public holidays and consider only paid annual leave, EU
law entitles every worker to at least four weeks (20 days). Most
Member States – 19 out of 27 – follow this minimum standard,
but several of them grant additional days through collective
agreements. Others go beyond the EU requirement by law, offering
between 22 and 28 days of paid annual leave. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20251107_Leave.png]
FIGURE 3: BASELINE MINIMUM OF PAID ANNUAL LEAVE AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
BY MEMBER STATE AND NORWAY (2022) 
_SOURCE_: OECD
[https://www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/oecd-family-database.html#123456],
EUROFOUND
[https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4fec6ce3-94c0-11ee-b164-01aa75ed71a1]. 

 

With regard to public holidays, while these add an important dimension
to total time off, their figures should be interpreted with caution.
In some years, several public holidays may fall on weekends,
effectively reducing the number of days off. In some cases, Member
States compensate with a replacement day (‘in lieu’); in others,
they do not. Moreover, public holidays can vary by region or even by
municipality. As a result, this indicator gives only a general
overview. The actual number of days off enjoyed by workers can differ
from year to year and across regions. 

 

_CONCLUSION:_ 

The world of work across Europe reflects a complex mix of history,
policy and social values. Open data makes these dynamics visible,
showing how each Member State balances productivity, pay and rest.
Manufacturing, healthcare and trade continue to employ the largest
share of Europeans, while high-income sectors such as finance and
technology remain smaller. Across the EU, differences in earnings
often exceed those between professions and the time people take off
(not counting public holidays) varies from the EU minimum of 20 days
to 30 in some Member States. While some patterns recur, others diverge
across Member States, reflecting diverse policy choices and economic
contexts. 

These contrasts reveal that there is no single ‘European’ model of
working life. Yet they also underline shared goals: decent work, fair
pay and the right to rest. By bringing these patterns to light, open
data helps citizens, researchers and policymakers understand how the
EU works and how it might work better. 

