How Many Hours Is Part Time? [Breakdown By Country]
How many hours per week is part-time in the US?
Generally speaking, a person who works fewer than 30 hours per week would be considered part time in the United States. But there is no set law defining part-time employment hours in the United States.
Various government agencies and acts have given guidance about part-time work:
- According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Fewer than 35 hours per week
- According to rules set by the Affordable Care Act: Fewer than 30 hours per week
- According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Not set (but overtime occurs above 40 hours)
Below, we’ll cover the three main places that companies get guidance about part-time work. Learn more about each to determine how to set part-time hours for your business.
1) US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Purpose: Statistical, not legal
Part-time work definition:
- “Full-time workers are those who usually work 35 or more hours per week.”
- “Part-time workers are those who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week.”
2) Affordable Care Act
Purpose: Guidance for providing healthcare to employees
Part-time work definition:
“For purposes of the employer shared responsibility provisions, a full-time employee is, for a calendar month, an employee employed on average at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours of service per month.”
Therefore, part-time hours would be fewer than 30 per week on average or 130 per month.
3) Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Purpose: Labor laws for minimum wage, overtime pay, and more
Part-time work definition:
“The FLSA does not define full-time employment or part-time employment. This is a matter generally to be determined by the employer. Whether an employee is considered full-time or part-time does not change the application of the FLSA.”
FLSA does require employers to pay overtime above 40 hours per week for covered, nonexempt employees. Therefore, the general assumption can be made that full-time work could be considered 40 hours per week and part-time work could be considered fewer than 40 hours per week. None of this is explicitly stated by FLSA, though.
What Is Considered Full-Time Vs. Part Time In 50 Countries
Below, you’ll find how many hours per week are considered part-time and full-time for the 50 biggest economies in the world. The table is ranked by GDP (biggest economies in the world at the top).
The figures you see are general guidelines about work hours, not labor laws for each country. For example, many countries do not have guidance for the number of hours that determines a part-time employee. Other countries do not provide laws or guidance about part-time work, but it is generally accepted that anything less than full-time could be considered part-time. If you are trying to legally operate within one of these countries, make sure to search the appropriate government websites in each country or talk to a local employment lawyer.
| Country | 2021 GDP | Full-Time Week | Part-Time Week | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $22,997,500,000,000 | > 30 Hours On Average (130 Hours Per Month) |
< 30 Hours (< 130 Hours Per Month) |
irs.gov |
| China | $17,458,040,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 25 Hours | hrone.com |
| Japan | $4,937,420,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | jetro.go.jp |
| Germany | $4,225,920,000,000 | 36 – 40 Hours | < 30 Hours | iamexpat.de |
| United Kingdom | $3,187,630,000,000 | > 35 Hours | < 35 Hours | gov.uk |
| India | $3,177,920,000,000 | > 30 Hours | < 30 Hours | faqs.in.gov |
| France | $2,935,490,000,000 | 35 Hours | < 35 Hours | expatica.com |
| Italy | $2,101,280,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | accountingbolla.com |
| Canada | $1,990,760,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | canada.ca |
| Korea | $1,798,540,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
| Russia | $1,775,550,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
| Australia | $1,633,290,000,000 | > 35 Hours | < 35 Hours | abs.gov.au |
| Brazil | $1,608,080,000,000 | 40 – 44 Hours | < 40 Hours | boundlesshq.com |
| Iran | $1,426,300,000,000 | 44 Hours | < 44 Hours | faramalaw.com |
| Spain | $1,426,220,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | expatica.com |
| Mexico | $1,294,830,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | replicon.com |
| Indonesia | $1,186,070,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
| Netherlands | $1,018,680,000,000 | 36 – 40 Hours | 12 – 36 Hours | thelifenet.eu |
| Saudi Arabia | $833,541,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | replicon.com |
| Switzerland | $812,552,000,000 | 45 Hours | 90% Of A Full-Time Employee | iamexpat.ch |
| Turkey | $806,804,000,000 | 45 Hours | < 31 Hours | turkishlaborlaw.com |
| Poland | $674,127,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | boundlesshq.com |
| Sweden | $627,438,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | arbetsformedlingen.se |
| Belgium | $599,989,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | employment.belgium.be |
| Thailand | $513,165,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | replicon.com |
| Ireland | $498,891,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 35 Hours | citizensinformation.ie |
| Norway | $482,437,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | nho.no |
| Israel | $481,591,000,000 | 42 Hours | < 42 Hours | replicon.com |
| Austria | $477,400,000,000 | 38.5 Hours | < 21 Hours | welcomm-europe.eu |
| South Africa | $418,020,000,000 | 45 Hours | < 30 – 35 Hours | mywage.co.za |
| Egypt | $402,838,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | hg.org |
| Singapore | $396,992,000,000 | 44 Hours | < 35 Hours | mom.gov.sg |
| Denmark | $395,710,000,000 | 37 Hours | < 37 Hours | english.ida.dk |
| Philippines | $393,612,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | outsourceaccelerator.com |
| Malaysia | $372,754,000,000 | 45 Hours | 30% Of A Full-Time Employee | replicon.com |
| Hong Kong | $368,137,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | hk.indeed.com |
| Vietnam | $366,201,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 Hours | mondaq.com |
| Bangladesh | $357,099,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | globalpeoplestrategist.com |
| Pakistan | $347,743,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | paycheck.pk |
| Chile | $316,864,000,000 | 45 Hours | < 31 Hours | replicon.com |
| Colombia | $314,268,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 40 – 48 Hours | replicon.com |
| Finland | $298,868,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | infofinland.fi |
| Romania | $283,476,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
| Czech Republic | $282,641,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
| Portugal | $250,053,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | boundlesshq.com |
| New Zealand | $247,685,000,000 | 35 – 40 Hours | < 35 Hours | employment.govt.nz |
| Peru | $224,725,000,000 | 48 Hours | < 21 Hours | bizlatinhub.com |
| Greece | $216,384,000,000 | 40 Hours | < 40 Hours | replicon.com |
Please note: Buildremote has provided this information as general guidance for what’s considered the normal full-time and part-time work week in each country. Do not treat these numbers as legal advice. If you are looking to better understand the labor laws in each country, search the appropriate government websites in each country.
Additional Work Week Resources
If you’d like to learn more about the average work week by country and alternative styles of work week, we’ve got you covered. Here some related articles to continue your research:
- How Many Work Days Are In A Year? See the work days and hours for 2023, 2024, or 2025.
- Average Work Week By Country: Data on every country about average hours worked per week and year
- The 4-Day Work Week Country: Does It Exist? Explore every country that has some form of four-day work week law, proposal, or trial
- Flexible Work Schedules: How to implement flexible work schedules and example policies to offer
- 20 Creative Twists On The 40-Hour Work Week: See how certain entrepreneurs and companies are redoing the work week
- Replicon’s State & Country Guides: Replicon provides in-depth articles about the average part- and full-time labor laws in each US state and many countries
