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Study reveals longer work hours for more than half of finance professionals across the globe

Ref. PR-00718

UK finance professionals work just 18 minutes less than global average.

Specialist financial recruitment firm Robert Half has  released a new report 'Working Hours: A Global Comparison' comparing the number of hours finance professionals spend at work across 17 different countries, including how often they work on vacation, evenings and weekends . The report also examines the impact of technology on our working lives and the blurring line between work and personal time.

Below are some key findings for the UK: 

  • UK ranks 13th out of the 17 countries polled in terms of the average number of hours worked per week
  • Finance professionals in UK work 42.1 hours per week; that's just 18 minutes less than the global average of 42.4 hours per week
  • Globally, more than half (52 per cent) of financial professionals say they have been putting in more time over the last two years; this compares to 53 per cent of respondents from the UK
  • Globally, the two most popular reasons for an increase in working hours are taking on more responsibility (56 per cent) and company growth (45 per cent)
  • 38 per cent finance professionals across the globe say they take their laptop or PDA with them on holiday; 14% say they cannot relax unless they are in touch with the office
  • In the UK,  31 per cent of finance professionals say they take their laptop or PDA with them on holiday and  11 per cent say they cannot relax unless they are in touch with the office
  • One in three (34 per cent) finance professionals globally admit to working in the evenings and an additional 37 per cent say they respond to e-mails and take phone calls in the evening when they have pressing deadlines. This compares to 36 per cent of respondents from the UK.
  • Globally, 12 per cent of financial professionals say they work every weekend; in the UK, 10 per cent say they work every weekend while the majority 31 per cent say they work one weekend a month.

Attached is the report, which provides more details, including a global and country-by-country breakdown of results.

Document: Working Hours Report

Contact Us

For further information please contact:

Michelle Whitman
Robert Half International
Tel : 020 7331 2222
Email : michelle.whitman@rhi.net