60% of Irish professionals work more than 40 hours per week

Ireland

According to a recent survey by leading specialist professional recruitment consultancy, Robert Walters, 60% of Irish employees work more than 40 hours per week on average. Almost 600 Irish professionals were surveyed on a variety of employment related issues ranging from work/life balance and productivity through to environmental policies and employer support.

Respondents were asked to give an indication of their average weekly working hours, with 60% of those surveyed stating that they work in excess of 40 hours per week on average. This figure shows an increase from 2010 figures when 54% of Irish professionals claimed to work more than 40 hours per week.

Louise Campbell, Managing Director of Robert Walters Ireland, commented:

“Our survey goes to show that professionals in are increasingly working beyond contractual hours. We believe that this is due to a number of factors; many departments are still under-staffed as a result of having to make brutal cuts in 2010 and the earlier part of 2011, hence existing employees are having to compensate by working longer hours, sustained economic pressure on the majority of organisations across the country, and the need for existing staff to make themselves indispensable in these challenging times.”

For more information please contact:
Kate McGuinness, Marketing Executive                   
Tel: +353 (0)1 633 4111
Email: kate.mcguinness@robertwalters.com

Robert Walters is one of the leading international recruitment consultancies, with a network of 44 offices spanning 21 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Continental Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and Brazil.

The results of the Robert Walters employee insights survey are collated according to anonymous responses from a survey group of 575 Irish professionals.