Men and full-timers most likely to work overtime

Just over one in three employees regularly work overtime. More men and full-time workers work overtime than women and part-time workers. Men and full-timers also account for most hours worked overtime. Most overtime workers are employed in the information and communication sector, fewest in the construction sector.

More men than women work overtime

In 2010, 37 percent of employees in the Netherlands reported they regularly worked overtime,  the equivalent of 2.3 million people. Forty-one percent of men, said they regularly worked overtime, for women this was 32 percent. The difference is partly caused by the fact that more women than men work part-time: 29 percent of part-time workers regularly work overtime, compared with 43 percent of full-timers. 

Percentages of employees working overtime differ between sectors. More than 43 percent of employees in the information and communication sector work overtime, compared with less than 30 percent in the construction industry.

Regular overtime by sex, working hours and sector of industry, 2010

Men and full-timers work most overtime

Employees who regularly work overtime do so for an average 6 hours a week. Men doing overtime work nearly 7 hours extra, women just over 4.5 hours. This difference, too, is caused by the larger percentage of men than women working full-time. Full-timers who work overtime work for more extra hours than part-timers working overtime. 

Workers in the sectors trade, transport, and hotels and restaurants work most hours overtime.  Especially those in the transport sector: employees in this sector who work overtime work for more than 9 extra hours a week; this is more than one and a half times the average.

Hours of overtime by sex, working hours and sector of industry, employees who regularly work overtime, 2010*

*) Because of insufficient observations, the averages for sectors ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishery’ and ‘Lease and trade of real estate’ are not included.

Jannes de Vries