busy office staff in business time working hours concept.
The number of hours worked by fulltime employees in the United States each week steadily dropped from 44.1 in 2019 to 44.1 in 2024.
This decline has been greater for workers younger than 35. Older employees have seen an average reduction of just under one hour per person per week, while younger employees have reduced their hours by nearly two hours. Over a year, that’s the equivalent of older employees taking an extra week off work and younger employees taking two weeks.
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Several factors have contributed to the reduced hours, a recent Gallup poll found:
- Overall employee wellbeing has been on the decline.
- Employees now have less trust in institutions in general and feel more detached from their employers.
- After a decade of steady improvement, employee engagement has reverted to its 2014 level.
- Advances in technology may be making work more efficient. Although nearly half of employees said artificial intelligence has helped them improve their productivity, a workforce that is becoming more technically efficient and less engaged may lack the motivation needed for long-term growth.
- Employees, especially younger ones, now place a higher priority on their overall wellbeing. Work-life balance and better overall wellbeing now rank among the most important considerations when choosing a new job.
“In short, burned-out employees are unmotivated to serve customers and perform below their potential,” the survey report said. “Engaged employees, however, report much less burnout. About 1 in 10 engaged younger workers and even fewer older engaged employees report burnout very often or always when working less than 45 hours per week.”
Researchers recommend that employers take immediate steps to improve workplace engagement; discover how to prevent burnout by learning what it is, why it matters and how to take steps to reduce it; and track global wellbeing trends that affect their workplace.
Organizations that focus too narrowly on hours worked -- and develop a one-size-fits-all “hours-worked” policy -- risk missing the mark, the report said. Gallup data show that employees of different ages have varying preferences regarding work hours. Some thrive on a steady 9-to-5 schedule, while others prefer a more flexible approach that blends work and personal life. Some may choose to work extra hours to complete a meaningful project or simply because it is their way of excelling at work.
“For managers, the key is staying closely connected to each employee, ideally weekly,” the report said. “This helps them support high performance by aligning work with employees’ strengths and accommodating each person’s unique work-life needs.”
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
