Did you know that the Netherlands has the shortest average working week in Europe? The Dutch take their work-life balance seriously, with the result that many employees work shorter hours than you might be used to. This page explains what you need to know about working hours, overtime, and breaks in the Netherlands.
According to Eurostat data from 2024, employees in the Netherlands have the shortest working week in the European Union, clocking in an average of 32,1 hours per week, well below the EU average of 36 hours.
As this shows, standard workplace practices in the Netherlands might be different to what you’re used to in your home country, so anyone working in the Netherlands should take note of some key points about working hours, such as:
The legal framework governing working hours in the Netherlands is set out in the Working Hours Act (Arbeidstijdenwet), which outlines certain statutory minimum standards when it comes to working hours, breaks and rest.
The Working Hours Act does not apply to high-level employees and managerial staff, so long as their yearly wage is equal to or three times more than the minimum wage in the Netherlands (including the holiday allowance).
The standard working week at companies in the Netherlands is between 36 and 40 hours, meaning that employees work from 9 or 10am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
According to Eurostat figures from 2024, the average working week in the Netherlands is 32,1 hours, well below the EU average of 36 hours. The figure is lower than you might expect, because it includes both full-time and part-time jobs.
Around two-thirds of workers in the Netherlands work full-time (voltijd). According to CBS, the average weekly working time for a full-time employee in the Netherlands is 39,2 hours.
Some companies may have a longer working week, but compensate their employees with a higher salary or additional holiday leave. Some full-time employees may also be able to negotiate flexible working hours with their employer. This can include:
If you work fewer than 36 hours a week, you are considered to be working part-time (deeltijd). A high proportion of people in the Netherlands - 38,7 percent in 2024, according to Eurostat - work part-time. This proportion has been increasing gradually over the past 30 years.
According to CBS, the average part-time worker in the Netherlands works 21,6 hours per week.
In the Netherlands, if you wish to work part time you have a legal right to request this after you have been at your job for six months or more. Under the Flexible Working Act (Wet Flexibel Werken), which came into effect in 2016, employees have the right to request a change to their work schedule to better suit their personal situation. This includes requests to:
Your employer is obliged to give your request fair consideration, and respond to you in writing. If they do not respond, then legally you are allowed to start working as you stated in your request. Your employer is only allowed to refuse the request if they have a strong and objective business reason to do so.
If your request is denied, you can re-submit it once per year.
Note that the Flexible Working Act only applies to companies that have 10 or more employees. However, if you are requesting a change in your working hours to care for children under the age of eight, then your employer must consider your request, no matter how many employees they have.
In the Netherlands, lots of people commute to and from work. You might be disappointed to hear that, in the eyes of Dutch law, time spent travelling between your home and your workplace does not count as work time.
However, the following do count as work time:
You are entitled to take breaks during your working day, to rest and get something to eat. In the Netherlands, the length of the break depends on the length of the work shift:
You can also split your breaks into smaller rest periods of at least 15 minutes each.
In the Netherlands, breaks are not considered working time, and because the Working Hours Act does not contain any provisions for employees to be paid during their breaks, they are usually unpaid.
However, your contract or collective agreement may specify that you get paid during your break.
The Working Hours Act specifies that a working day cannot “start or end” with a break. That means you cannot skip a break in order to start your work shift late, or end your day early. The break is supposed to be used to allow you to rest and eat.
A rest period is a break between two working days. In the Netherlands, employees are legally entitled to an 11-hour break between work shifts.
Once a week, this break can be cut to eight hours if the nature of the work or business circumstances requires it.
At least once a week, an employee must have a minimum of 36 hours of non-work. This can also be spread over 14 days, so you have at least 72 hours of rest in each two-week period.
Employees in the Netherlands are also entitled to at least 20 days of paid vacation each year. You can find out more about taking annual leave on our dedicated page. Public holidays are generally given on top of this paid holidays entitlement.
In the Netherlands, an employee can legally work a maximum of 12 hours per shift and a maximum of 60 hours per week.
However, this limit is only for brief periods; for longer time frames the limit is lower:
Young people under the age of 18 can work a maximum of eight hours per day.
Overtime is defined as any hours you work above the standard working hours set out in your employment contract.
Regularly working long hours overtime is not very common in the Netherlands. As such, overtime compensation rates are not mandated by Dutch law.
If you are compensated for overtime work, this will typically be specified in your employment contract or collective labour agreement. Some companies will stipulate in the contract that (a certain amount of) overtime work comes with the job and is covered by your regular salary, while others may provide compensation for any extra hours worked. You may receive:
If you feel like you are working too much (uncompensated) overtime, it is important to raise the issue with your employer.
Sunday is generally considered a non-working day in the Netherlands, unless the employee has expressly agreed to work on Sundays and the nature of the work makes it necessary to do so.
If you do work on Sundays, the same maximum working hours limits as above apply: no more than 12 hours per shift, or 60 hours per week, or less if spread over a longer period of time. On top of this, employees are entitled to at least 13 free Sundays per year and can refuse to work more than 40 Sundays per year.
In the Netherlands, there are no legal requirements to give employees additional pay or extra time off for weekend work, but an employment contract or labour agreement may specify this.
A night worker is defined in the Netherlands as an employee who works a shift of which more than one hour falls between midnight and 6am.
Slightly different working hours regulations apply to night work in the Netherlands:
Night workers are entitled to request a transfer to day shifts if a doctor advises the employer that the worker is suffering from health problems that are related to their night work.
Employers in the Netherlands are required to keep records of the hours their employees work, and to make sure that employees have access to these records. This includes:
Employees are responsible for keeping track of the overtime hours that they work.