39% Work At Least 50 Hours Per Week

According to data from Gallup's Work and Education Survey, a full 50% of full-time US workers work at least 41 hours per week.

Here is the breakdown from Gallup's survey:

Average Hours Worked By Full-Time US Workers, Aged 18+

60+ Hours, 18%
50 to 59 Hours, 21%
41 to 49 Hours, 11%
40 Hours, 42%
Less Than 40 Hours, 8%

The 9-to-5, 40 hour per week career is actually in the minority when it comes to full-time US workers, as just 42% of those included in the survey said that they worked 40 hours per week.

According to Gallup's survey, the majority of those who work more than 40 hours per week are doing so at salaried jobs, so they are not benefiting financially (at least directly) from the extra hours logged at work. According to Gallup, full-time US workers who are paid a salary work, on average, 5 hours per week more than workers who are paid hourly (49 hours/week vs 44 hours/week). Many US workers who are paid a salary try to work extra hours in order to keep up with their workloads or get ahead so that they can place themselves in line for a promotion.

Another factor that contributes to the long workweeks for many Americans - working more than one job. According to Gallup, 13% of those included in their survey held more than one job.

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With the US economy continuing to stagnate, the average full-time worker likely feels that they can't afford to take their foot off the gas at work or else they risk joining millions of others on the unemployment lines.

Source: Gallup.com - The "40-Hour" Workweek is Actually Longer - by Seven Hours

Filed under: General Knowledge