Average Weekly Hours

Average Weekly Hours is a labor market indicator, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that measures the average number of hours per week worked by employees, most commonly reported for production and nonsupervisory employees in the private nonfarm sector. It is watched as a measure of labor input and of how intensively employers are using their existing workforce, since employers facing a change in demand often adjust hours before they change headcount. Average hours worked has declined over the long run in developed economies even as labor productivity and real wages have risen, a pattern documented in international comparisons across OECD countries.