Regulation of Working Hours in Europe

During the 20th century working hours were reduced in all European countries. Recently, this trend appears not to continue everywhere. The study provides an overview based on factors affecting the development of working hours, on the characteristics of working hours regulations and its economical consequences. The main focus of the work is on the comparing analysis of five European state economies (France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, UK) and their working hour regulations. Examining specific countries allows understanding the various options that working time regulations can have. Empirical results will help analyzing the effects.