A “workday” is pretty simple: it’s any day that isn’t a weekend or public holiday when people are expected to be working. Calculating the number of workdays per year is important for economic forecasts, employee management, and even figuring out your own personal productivity.
This article will give you a general idea of how the number of workdays varies from country to country and what contributes to those differences.
We’ll look at how public holidays and vacation time affect the overall number of workdays you can expect in a year.
Workdays in the United States: An Overview
There are roughly 261 workdays in the U.S. each year. This number comes from subtracting weekend days and federal holidays from the total number of days in a year.
Let’s break it down: 365 days minus 104 weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) and about 10 federal holidays leaves you with approximately 261 days.
A typical work week in the U.S. is 40 hours, which adds up to about 2,080 hours per year. Keep in mind that this doesn’t factor in vacation time. The number of vacation days people take each year varies quite a bit, so the actual number of days worked changes from person to person.
Workdays in Europe: What to know
The number of workdays you can expect in a year varies quite a bit from country to country. In Europe, the average number of workdays is around 234, which is lower than the number in the U.S.
A number of things can affect the number of workdays in a country, including national holidays and vacation policies. National days, religious observances, and mandated vacation time all play a role.
For example, in Germany, employees have fewer workdays because the government mandates 20 paid vacation days and 9 federal holidays.
In the United Kingdom, employees get 28 vacation days plus 8 bank holidays, which leads to a greater number of non-working days.
Work culture and holidays in Latin America and Asia
Work schedules and holiday observances vary widely around the world. Here’s a glimpse into how Latin American and Asian countries approach the work week.
Latin America
Many workers in Latin America follow a schedule similar to what’s common in the United States and Europe: about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That averages out to around 40 hours per week, or 2,080 hours per year.
As in Europe, Latin American countries generally observe national holidays and religious holidays.
Asia
Throughout Asia, you’ll often find work schedules that mirror those in Latin America: around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for a total of around 40 hours per week, or 2,080 hours per year.
However, holiday schedules in Asia can be highly variable from country to country, and they often reflect important national holidays and religious observances.
What about weekends and “bridge days?”
Of course, holidays don’t always land on weekdays. Some countries and companies offer what they call “bridge days” or compensatory holidays.
Bridge days are extra days off that employees take to turn a holiday into a long weekend. For example, if a holiday falls on a Thursday, employees may take Friday off, too.
Compensatory holidays are given when a public holiday falls on a weekend. In that case, employees may get the Friday before or the Monday after off.
Putting It All Together
Understanding how workdays vary around the world is crucial for global planning. When you’re doing business internationally or managing a remote workforce, awareness of holiday schedules and vacation policies is essential.
Cultural norms, legal holidays, and mandated vacation time all affect how many days people are actually working in a specific region.
Businesses and individuals should be prepared to adapt their expectations and schedules based on these regional differences.