Analysis of the evolution of the workday day in Spain
The evolution of the duration of the workday is one of the determinants of the contribution of the work factor to the growth of the economy’s product. The proposal to reduce the workday without modifying the salary in a context of digitization of the economy, increased productivity, and the need to improve work-life balance has raised great interest in analysing the evolution that working hours in Spain have followed, as well as the prospects that, in the future, the moderately decreasing tendency that this variable has shown over the last four decades will continue.
The reduction in average2 working hours in Spain between 1987 and 2023 (from 37 to 30.9 hours per week) reflects a set of structural changes in the economy during that period, such as the increasing importance of the services sector and the rise in part-time employment. The pandemic intensified the decrease in the average workday, although it subsequently recovered before resuming a trend of gradual decline. On average, workdays are now one hour less than before the pandemic, although there are differences between sectors. Looking ahead, factors such as demographic aging, the growing significance of services, and the tendency to increase the rate of part-time work suggest that the downward trend in working hours could be prolonged.
SDG
Pilar CuadradoBachelor of Economic Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid (1988), currently works at the Bank of Spain as a research economist in the Division of Analysis and Forecasting of the Activity and Prices of the Department of Analysis of the Economic Situation of the General Directorate of Economy. Previously, she worked in other divisions of the Bank, as well as IRYDA, which is dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture. Her work mainly focuses on the supply of the Spanish economy. Her primary research is based on topics related to demographics, potential goods and production gaps, as well as aspects of the labour market (such as participation rate projections or human capital estimates) and the evolution of productivity and the impacts of structural reforms. She has participated as a member of the European Commission Output Gap Working Group and the European Central Bank Task Force on Potential Output.
