Database Specific
Database Specific Abstract AbstractThis dataset contains annual labour market statistics based on the total number of hours worked over the year divided by the average number of people in employment. The data are intended for comparisons of trends over time; they are unsuitable for comparisons of the level of average annual hours of work for a given year, because of differences in their sources. Part-time workers are covered as well as full-time. Data is expressed in number of hours worked per year per person in employment and are presented from 1950 onwards.
Source Source Contact person/organisation Contact person/organisation Direct source Direct sourceBibliographic citation:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2020) OECD Employment and Labour Market Statistics, UK Data Service. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5257/oecd/labour/2020
Source Periodicity Source PeriodicityYearly
Data Characteristics Data Characteristics Date last updated Date last updated5th March 2021
Reference period Reference period1950-2019
Population & Scope Population & Scope Geographic coverage Geographic coverageCross-national; National
OECD countries
Statistical population Statistical populationThe concept used is the total number of hours worked over the year divided by the average number of people in employment. The data are intended for comparisons of trends over time; they are unsuitable for comparisons of the level of average annual hours of work for a given year, because of differences in their sources. Part-time workers are covered as well as full-time workers.
Concepts & Classifications Concepts & Classifications Key statistical concept Key statistical conceptThe series on annual hours actually worked per person in total employment presented in this table for 36 OECD countries (excludinig Colombia) are consistent with the series retained for the calculation of productivity measures in the OECD Productivity database (https://doi.org/10.1787/22252126). However, there may be some differences for some countries given that the main purpose of the latter database is to report data series on labour input (i.e. total hours worked) and also because the updating of databases occur at different moments of the year.
Hours actually worked per person in employment are according to National Accounts concepts for 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Secretariat estimates for Lithuania for annual hours worked are based on the European Labour Force Survey as are estimates for dependent employees for Austria, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. For the remaining countries, the sources and methodologies are the same as those presented in the previous edition of the OECD Employment Outlook, as are estimates reported for dependent employment for 29 OECD countries. The table also includes labour force survey based estimates for Costa Rica and the Russian Federation.
The following change has been implemented in January 2019: For Austria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom, average actual hours worked data calculated in country's national accounts are replaced with estimates produced at the OECD using the OECD simplified component method, which relies on the EU-LFS and complementary sources. This reflects conclusions from the OECD Statistics Working Paper International Productivity Gaps: Are Labour Input Measures Comparable? (https://doi.org/10.1787/5b43c728-en) which shows that the use of a direct method for the estimation of average hours worked creates systematic upwards bias, weighing down on productivity levels - please refer to the paper itself for a more detailed account. It is important to stress that the use of the simplified component method by the OECD for this group of countries is intended to be only a stop-gap until such a time that these countries will be able to align their estimates with the national accounts framework and correct for self-reporting bias, with many countries already moving in this direction.
While the paper clearly highlights the current bias in international comparisons of productivity levels, it does not follow that the same holds for international comparisons of productivity growth rates. The time series takes average hours actually worked levels using the simplified component method in 2016 as a benchmark, and projects this series forwards and backwards using official (national) productivity growth rates . In this way, by definition, labour productivity growth rates are not affected and, as such, there is no difference between national and OECD growth rate series.
Other Aspects Other Aspects Other comments Other commentsCopyright Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The OECD has specified that registration is not required. Effective July 15th 2015, the UK Data Service made access to OECD online statistics databases free to all users via UKDS.Stat.
This dataset contains annual labour market statistics based on the total number of hours worked over the year divided by the average number of people in employment. The data are intended for comparisons of trends over time; they are unsuitable for comparisons of the level of average annual hours of work for a given year, because of differences in their sources. Part-time workers are covered as well as full-time. Data is expressed in number of hours worked per year per person in employment and are presented from 1950 onwards.
Bibliographic citation:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2020) OECD Employment and Labour Market Statistics, UK Data Service. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5257/oecd/labour/2020
Yearly
1950-2019
5th March 2021
The concept used is the total number of hours worked over the year divided by the average number of people in employment. The data are intended for comparisons of trends over time; they are unsuitable for comparisons of the level of average annual hours of work for a given year, because of differences in their sources. Part-time workers are covered as well as full-time workers.
Cross-national; National
OECD countries
The series on annual hours actually worked per person in total employment presented in this table for 36 OECD countries (excludinig Colombia) are consistent with the series retained for the calculation of productivity measures in the OECD Productivity database (https://doi.org/10.1787/22252126). However, there may be some differences for some countries given that the main purpose of the latter database is to report data series on labour input (i.e. total hours worked) and also because the updating of databases occur at different moments of the year.
Hours actually worked per person in employment are according to National Accounts concepts for 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Secretariat estimates for Lithuania for annual hours worked are based on the European Labour Force Survey as are estimates for dependent employees for Austria, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. For the remaining countries, the sources and methodologies are the same as those presented in the previous edition of the OECD Employment Outlook, as are estimates reported for dependent employment for 29 OECD countries. The table also includes labour force survey based estimates for Costa Rica and the Russian Federation.
The following change has been implemented in January 2019: For Austria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom, average actual hours worked data calculated in country's national accounts are replaced with estimates produced at the OECD using the OECD simplified component method, which relies on the EU-LFS and complementary sources. This reflects conclusions from the OECD Statistics Working Paper International Productivity Gaps: Are Labour Input Measures Comparable? (https://doi.org/10.1787/5b43c728-en) which shows that the use of a direct method for the estimation of average hours worked creates systematic upwards bias, weighing down on productivity levels - please refer to the paper itself for a more detailed account. It is important to stress that the use of the simplified component method by the OECD for this group of countries is intended to be only a stop-gap until such a time that these countries will be able to align their estimates with the national accounts framework and correct for self-reporting bias, with many countries already moving in this direction.
While the paper clearly highlights the current bias in international comparisons of productivity levels, it does not follow that the same holds for international comparisons of productivity growth rates. The time series takes average hours actually worked levels using the simplified component method in 2016 as a benchmark, and projects this series forwards and backwards using official (national) productivity growth rates . In this way, by definition, labour productivity growth rates are not affected and, as such, there is no difference between national and OECD growth rate series.
Copyright Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The OECD has specified that registration is not required. Effective July 15th 2015, the UK Data Service made access to OECD online statistics databases free to all users via UKDS.Stat.