The study, carried out by HR company SD Worx among 18,000 employees in 18 European countries, found that 40 percent of workers across Europe work beyond their regular hours, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza has reported.
Forty-seven percent of the Polish respondents to the survey said that the most common reason for working longer hours is to earn extra income.
The European average is 17 percentage points lower, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.
"This trend can be attributed to differences in minimum income levels,” labor market trends researcher Alicja Kotłowska was quoted as saying.
“In many Western European countries, the minimum wage is sufficient to cover basic living expenses such as housing, transport, healthcare and education, with social policies providing additional financial support," she added.
"As a result, there is less pressure to earn extra," Kotłowska said.
“In contrast, in Poland, the minimum wage often necessitates additional overtime work," she argued.
The Polish daily also referenced 2023 data from US-based HR software company ADP, showing that Polish employees work an average of 4 hours and 43 minutes of unpaid overtime per week. Globally, the average is 7 hours and 7 minutes of unpaid overtime per week, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
In the Polish real estate sector, 10.3 percent of those employed report working 16 to 20 hours of unpaid overtime per week, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.
In the media sector, the figure is 7.7 percent, it said.
(mo/gs)
Source: wyborcza.biz