The average working life in Portugal is more than in the EU countries. This marks Portugal as a more competitive and hard-working country. People do strive hard for their livelihood within the country.
Portugal has a greater average working life
Portugal recorded a higher average working life which is 39.1 years as compared to the European Union, EU average working life of 36.9 years. That is 2.2 years more than the EU. People in Portugal work quite long even after retirement to earn money. This statistic has extended the average to 27 years.
Eurostat has the most recent data which shows the figure of 39.1 years. This survey was conducted in the year 2023 and it has risen by almost 3 years on average in the past 10 years. You can check the average working hours in the following data:
- 2023: 39.1 years
- 2022: 38.3 years
- 2021: 37.5 years
- 2020: 37.5 years
- 2019: 38.3 years
- 2018: 38 years
- 2017: 37.7 years
- 2016: 37.1 years
- 2015: 36.9 years
- 2014: 36.7 years
The average working hours vary very drastically, and it depends on the country. One such example is Iceland which has an average working hour of 40 years whereas the average working hour in Sweden is 43.1 years. Similarly, some of the countries have very average working life such as Romania whose average working hours are 32.2, the lowest among all countries. Some of the other lowest average working life is recorded in Italy which is 32.9 years to be exact and in Croatia which is 34 years.
Why Does Portugal Have More Working Hours
The average worker in Portugal has increased and more people are working even when they get old. It is stated that more than one in three workers in Portugal are at the ages of more than 50 years. This number has increased in the past 10 years. It was recorded in 2013 that one in four workers were over 50 years but now more people are working even after getting old.
This is because now people living in Portugal are living 5 years longer than they did 20 years ago. The life expectancy has also increased within the country. It is estimated that by the year 2040 one in three people will be over the age of 65 years in Portugal.
This does not mean that people are not working longer. If you look at the statistics of the employment rate, it will be noted that the employment rate of people aged 50 to 64 years has drastically increased by a whopping 11% in the past 20 years. Astonishingly, Portugal has one in five people between the ages 65 to 69 who are currently working or looking for any kind of work. Although the overall life expectancy of the country has increased a lot of people are spending these extra years in very poor health.
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