Maximum weekly working hours by country
Most countries set a 40-hour weekly limit; France allows up to 48 hours. Japan, Norway, and Canada specify 40 hours per week as standard; Spain and France place the limit at 40 and 48 hours respectively.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | Maximum hours per week | Averaging period allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 40 hours (standard), 48 (maximum) | 2+ weeks as prescribed |
| Spain | 40 hours (annual average) | Annual (12 months) |
| France | 48 hours per week | Per collective agreement |
| Japan | 40 hours per week | Per collective agreement or ordinance |
Under review
The statute text for these countries has changed since we last checked it, so their figures are hidden until we review them again: Norway.
Country by country
Canada
- Rule
- Canada Labour Code, Part III, s. 169, 171
- Applies to federally regulated industries (Canada Labour Code Part III). Standard is 8 hours/day, 40 hours/week. Can exceed to max 48 hours/week. Irregular work may average over 2+ weeks per regulations or by union agreement.
- Scope: Federal employment only. Provinces have separate standards.
the standard hours of work of an employee shall not exceed eight hours in a day and forty hours in a weekthe hours of work in a day and the hours of work in a week may be calculated, in such manner and in such circumstances as may be prescribed by the regulations, as an average for a period of two or more weeks the total hours that may be worked by any employee in any week shall not exceed forty-eight hours in a week Spain
- Rule
- Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 34
- Maximum ordinary working hours are 40 hours per week on average computed annually. Actual daily distribution may vary subject to minimum daily rest periods (12 hours between end of one shift and start of next). Up to 10% of annual hours may be distributed irregularly within a year.
La duración máxima de la jornada ordinaria de trabajo será de cuarenta horas semanales de trabajo efectivo de promedio en cómputo anualla empresa podrá distribuir de manera irregular a lo largo del año el diez por ciento de la jornada de trabajo France
- Rule
- Code du travail, art. L3121-20
- Maximum working time per week is 48 hours. In exceptional circumstances, this may be exceeded up to 60 hours per week with administrative authorization, but only for the duration of the exceptional circumstances.
Au cours d'une même semaine, la durée maximale hebdomadaire de travail est de quarante-huit heures Japan
- Rule
- 労働基準法 (Labor Standards Act), § 32
- Employers must not require employees to work more than 40 hours per week (excluding break times). Daily limit is 8 hours per day. Hours can be averaged over multiple weeks by collective agreement (as specified in § 32-2 to 32-5).
使用者は、労働者に、休憩時間を除き一週間について四十時間を超えて、労働させてはならない Countries not in this table yet
Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France (covered), Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan have different baselines or frameworks not captured here. UK requires 48-hour average under Working Time Regulations (not ingested); Germany limits via multiple acts (ArbZG ingested but limited); Australia has no federal maximum (awards set limits). USA has no federal weekly maximum under FLSA.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
Use this data
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “Maximum weekly working hours by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/maximum-weekly-working-hours (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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