436,000 Workers in Spain Perform Unpaid Overtime Every Week

• 436,000 workers in Spain perform 2.54 million hours of unpaid overtime every week.
• Employers save approximately €3.378 billion annually in wages, taxes, and social security contributions through this practice.
• Converting total overtime hours into new roles could create 171,000 jobs, with 68,000 of those resulting solely from unpaid overtime hours.

Extent of the Issue

• According to a report by the CC OO Economic Cabinet, 924,000 employees work beyond their contractual hours, representing 5% of the salaried population.
• Of these, 47.1% (the 436,000 mentioned) receive no compensation in either wages or time off.
• Those performing unpaid overtime work an average of 5.8 extra hours per week, losing an average of €148 weekly in labor costs, totaling €7,696 annually.

Sector Breakdown

• The education sector accounts for the highest volume of unpaid overtime hours at 19.5%.
• Other impacted sectors include:
  • Industry: 9.9%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical activities: 9.8%
  • Hospitality: 8.9%
  • Retail: 8.5%
  • Public administration and defense: 6.9%

Economic Implications

• The CC OO argues that employers prioritize narrative campaigns against "absenteeism" while failing to comply with mandatory working hour registration laws.
• The union emphasizes that beyond the savings in labor costs, employers increase their profit margins by appropriating the value added from these unpaid labor hours.