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In the aftermath of World War II, Dutch workers toiled through long, six-day weeks that mirrored Europe’s industrial drive. But economic crises in the 1970s and mass unemployment forced the Netherlands to rethink how work was divided. Landmark agreements like the 1982 Wassenaar Pact traded wage restraint for shorter hours, while legal reforms in the 1980s and 1990s secured part-time work as a fully protected option. Today, Dutch employees average just 31–33 hours a week—the shortest in the developed world—yet remain among the most productive. Even after the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19, the part-time culture proved resilient. The Dutch model shows that prosperity can grow, even as working hours shrink.
