The study examined 34 countries worldwide and found the UK to be the hardest-working
The British are the only workforce in the world that works harder now than they did in the 1980s, a study has discovered.
Britons now work longer hours each week than they did when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. The longer working hours are thought to be due in part to her crackdown on union practices and private sector promotion.
The wealthiest 20 percent of Britons now work an average of three hours more per week than they did in the mid-1980s – the highest increase in working hours of any country in the research.
The poorest 20 percent of people in the UK have seen an increase of one hour per working week. Many countries across Europe, meanwhile, have seen a decrease in working hours over the same period of time. In Finland, the lowest income group works seven fewer hours per week than they did 25 years ago.
Across all countries, low-income workers work for an average of three hours fewer per week, and high-income earners an average of 20 minutes les per week.
The study was performed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and examined all 34 of its member countries.