Jamaica has second-longest work week in the Americas, longest in Caribbean — report
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica has been listed as the country with the second-longest average work week in the Americas and the longest in the Caribbean for 2026, according to a report shared by the World Population Review.
Eclipsed only by 28th-placed Honduras, whose population works an average of 44.20 hours per week, Jamaica placed 35th on the list, with locals working an average of 43.45 hours per week.
Men put in slightly more time than women, with their average listed as 44.55 and women at 42.14 hours per week.
Guyana was directly below Jamaica in 36th spot, with its population spending an average of 43.29 hours at work per week; far down the list at 61, with an average of 41.46 hours per week, was Haiti.
The three countries outpaced the global average of 38.67 hours per week.
The report, which relies on data collected by the International Labour Organization (ILO), noted that higher-income countries with a cultural emphasis on work/life balance generally have shorter official work weeks compared to countries with longer work weeks and rank higher on the world’s happiest countries list.
In contrast, countries with a longer work week, while often ranking as hard-working countries, usually have fewer worker protections, reduced amenities and a populace that is less happy and possibly overworked.
The Caribbean country with the shortest average work week was Barbados, with 34.47 hours per week on average.
With a 31.86-hour weekly average, Canadian citizens were listed as having the shortest work week in the region of the Americas, while the shortest globally was Yemen at an average of 22.95 hours per week.