In 2025, more than one in five employed people across the European Union regularly worked weekends, highlighting the persistence of non-standard working schedules in

modern labor markets.

Data shows that 21.3% of employed individuals aged 15 to 64 typically worked on Saturdays or Sundays. Weekend work was particularly prevalent in customer-facing and manual professions. Nearly half of service and sales workers (47.6%) and skilled workers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (47.2%) reported regular weekend duties. Among those in elementary occupations, the figure stood at 25.7%.

Employment status also played a significant role. Only 18.5% of employees reported working weekends, compared to substantially higher shares among the self-employed. Employers—self-employed individuals with staff—recorded a rate of 45.8%, while 35.9% of own-account workers (those without employees) worked weekends. Contributing family workers showed similarly high levels at 45.1%.

There were also notable differences between EU countries. Greece recorded the highest proportion of employees working weekends at 31.5%, followed closely by Cyprus (31.3%) and Malta (29.2%). At the other end of the spectrum, Lithuania (3.0%), Poland (4.2%), and Hungary (6.2%) reported the lowest shares.

Among self-employed employers, Greece again led with 75.0% working weekends. Belgium (65.9%) and France (61.0%) followed, while Hungary (9.9%), Slovakia (15.0%), and Poland (15.1%) had the lowest rates in this category.

The figures underline how weekend work remains an integral part of many sectors, particularly for those running their own businesses or working in service-oriented roles.

The data was released in connection with International Workers’ Day, observed annually on May 1, a date that continues to spotlight evolving labor patterns across Europe. Photo by Phil Whitehouse, Wikimedia commons.