How Many Hours Should We Work Each Week?

Type of Doctrine: Tertiary

"And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'"

-Mark 2:27 ESV

Why Does It Matter?

Some of us work an exhausting number of hours each week (perhaps leaving family, friends, church, and other aspects of life behind). Others may work very few hours (perhaps indulging in hobbies, Netflix, or social media). Still others may work the typical 40-hour work week. How many hours should we work? This article will examine that topic biblically and historically.

This is typically considered a tertiary issue. Christians can attend the same church and respectfully disagree with one another.

What Is It?

How many hours should we work in a week? The following will first examine this issue biblically and then historically.

Biblical

The list below will include a few of the key Scriptures on this topic. First, to summarize, Scripture demonstrates that we should work hard to glorify God and provide for ourselves and our families. In doing so, we will avoid laziness, on one side of the spectrum, and overwork, on the other side of the spectrum. At the same time, we will allow time for rest, family, friends, and church.

Here are a few key Scriptures which shed light on this topic:

[Gen 2:2-3 ESV] 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
[Pro 6:6-11 ESV] 6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
[Pro 10:22 ESV] 22 The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
[Pro 14:23 ESV] 23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
[Pro 13:4 ESV] 4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
[Pro 23:4 ESV] 4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
[Pro 31:15 ESV] 15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
[Psa 127:1-2 ESV] 1 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
[Luk 12:15 ESV] 15 And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
[Mat 6:19-21 ESV] 19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
[Heb 13:5 ESV] 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
[Mar 2:27-28 ESV] 27 And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."
[Jas 5:4 ESV] 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
[1Ti 5:8 ESV] 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
[Col 3:22-25 ESV] 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Historical

The list below will show how many hours people have worked throughout history. To summarize, work weeks were generally 40 hours or less until the Industrial Revolution, when they almost doubled (70 hours per week). Since then, work weeks have gradually come back down to slightly below 40 hours per week.

Pre-Industrial Period
- There is not much data demonstrating the average work week from this time period, but many think it was less than 40 hours per week. The nature of work during this period was often hunter-gather and agricultural. At times, the work may have been challenging and could have included work from sun-up to sun-down. However, many worked only as much as was needed for food and shelter. Some even believe that work weeks may have been as low as 15 hours per week at times. (See the sources at the bottom for an overview.)[1]
- According to data from the U.K. these are what work weeks looked like during the Middle Ages.[2]
  - 1200s (U.K) | 1,620 hours annually - 32.4 hrs per week
  - 1300s (U.K.) | 1,440 hours annually - 28.8 hrs per week
  - 1400s - 1600s (U.K.) | 1,980 to 2,309 hours annually - 39.6 to 46.18 hrs per week
Industrial Revolution Period: 1700s - 1800s | 60–70 hours per week [3]
After the Industrial Revolution [4]
- Now, notice what happened to the average work week during the Industrial Revolution. The number of hours worked increased significantly. However, over the last three centuries, the average work week has been decreasing.
  - 1900s | 40-50 hours per week
  - 2000s | 30-35 hours per week
Current view by country
- According to Our World in Data, as of 2017 below are the current averages by country (assuming 2 weeks off; 50 weeks per year worked).[5]
  - China - 2,174 hrs annually - 43.48 hrs per week
  - India - 2,117 hrs annually - 42.34 hrs per week
  - South Korea - 2,063 hrs annually - 41.26 hrs per week
  - U.S. - 1,757 hrs annually - 35.14 hrs per week
  - Australia - 1,731 hrs annually- 34.62 hrs per week
  - Brazil - 1,709 hrs annually - 34.18 hrs per week
  - U.K. - 1,670 hrs annually - 33.4 hrs per week
  - Sweden - 1,609 hrs annually - 32.18 hrs per week
  - Belgium - 1,544 hrs annually - 30.88 hrs per week
  - France - 1,514 hrs annually - 30.28 hrs per week
  - Germany - 1,354 hrs annually - 27.08 hrs per week

Thus, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi summarizes,

The human history of work can be summed up very roughly, Hunnicutt says, in three big chapters, from hunting and gathering through early farming, when humans worked basically just as much as they needed to survive. Anthropologists estimate that was way less than 40 hours. Then skip to the Industrial Revolution. Factories spring up with machines whirring from dawn until dusk, often six days a week. 70 or more working hours would have been common, at least in the early 1800s in the U.S. We can call this second chapter peak work. And the response, from workers, anyway, was the labor movement - protests, strikes, lobbying employers and the government for shorter workdays, among many other demands.[6]

Application

There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to a work week. It should be up to conscience while we also consider all of our various vocations. Clearly, we must consider family, friends, church, rest, but we also must consider the massive amount of unpaid work that is required to maintain our homes, lawns, finances, and personal lives. (That is why I personally prefer a five day 40-50 hour work week with a sixth day to handle much of the unpaid work, such as chores, and a seventh day which is a rest day.)

Moreover, different jobs will require different types of work weeks (i.e., times, days, amount of hours, etc.). Certain seasons and situations may require more work just to make ends meet. Nevertheless, it is true that we should work hard for the Lord but generally avoid both overwork and underwork. It is interesting to note, for context, that working more than 40 hours per week seems to be rare historically. Working 60-70 hours per week seems to only show up during the Industrial Revolution.

So, if you regularly find yourself either overworking or underworking, you may want to ask yourself: Why? Is it idolatry? Is it anxiety? Is it laziness? Is it approval you're looking for? Is it a financial issue?

Consider John Piper's helpful comment,

Have we found the rhythm of work and refreshment that points to the greatness of the risen Christ, and that leads to strong faith and sustained joyful energy for fulfilling all the various callings (plural) that a person has to the glory of God?[7]

Where Can I Learn More?

End Notes:

[1] Here is a good start:

[2] See the "Eight Centuries of Annual Hours" section on this webpage: https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_workweek.html.

[3] Charlie Giattino and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, "Are We Working More Than Ever?," Our World In Data, December 16, 2020, https://ourworldindata.org/working-more-than-ever#:~:text=The%20length%20of%20the%20work,day%2C%205%20days%20a%20week.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, "How the 40-Hour Work Week Became the Norm," All Things Considered, NPR, November 5, 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/11/05/1052968060/how-the-40-hour-work-week-became-the-norm.

[7] John Piper, "Am I Overworking?," Ask Pastor John, Episode 658, Desiring God, August 10, 2015, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/am-i-overworking.