10 cities with the shortest working hours in the world

If workers want more time to rest and enjoy life, they can go to Europe and "join the army" in the 10 cities with the shortest working hours in the world.

1. Paris (France)

Paris is the city with the world's lightest working hours. Residents of the French capital work an average of just 1,604 hours a year, according to a UBS analysis of jobs and earnings in 71 cities around the world.

“Those who want more time off can find a job in Paris, where people work just 35 hours a week and have up to 29 days paid vacation,” said the UBS analyst.

In 2000, France introduced a 35-hour work week to encourage companies to hire more workers. In contrast, Hong Kong has the longest working hours in the world. People here work 2,606 hours a year, or more than 50 hours a week.

2. Lyon (France)

In second place is also a French city – Lyon. Working hours here are impressively short, not inferior to Paris. Workers in Lyon work only 1,631 hours a year and they still enjoy 29 paid vacation days a year.

3. Moscow (Russia)

Despite the economic downturn, Moscow residents only work 1,647 hours a year, ranking third in the world for cities with the shortest working hours. In addition, workers have 31 days of paid vacation a year, more than workers in France.

4. Helsinki (Finland)

If you want a place with short working hours and economic and political stability, you can go to Helsinki – the capital of Finland, not too far from Moscow. Workers here work an average of 1,659 hours per year with a total of 29 days of paid vacation. In addition, Finland is also rated by the World Economic Forum as the country with the best preparation for labor training.

5. Vienna (Austria)

As the capital of Austria with a population of 1.8 million, Vienna has an average working hour of 1,678 per year with 27 days of paid vacation. In addition, Vienna is also rated as the second most "livable" city in the world after Melbourne (Australia) according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. This city is famous for its good quality of life, spacious infrastructure and modern health care system.

6. Milan (Italy)

Milan is known as one of the world's leading fashion capitals. Designers and models here work very hard. However, the average working time of residents in Milan is only 1,691 hours per year.

7. Copenhagen (Denmark)

The Danish capital boasts bike-friendly streets and top-notch restaurants. What’s more, its residents also boast relatively short working hours, with just 1,697 hours a year. Denmark is also regularly ranked among the happiest countries in the world by the United Nations.

8. Luxembourg

This small European country is famous for being a tax haven for multinational corporations. The government here also encourages people to balance work and life. People only need to work 1,703 hours per year. Notably, this is also the most 'generous' country to workers in the world with a regulation of 32 days of paid leave per year.

9. Vilnius (Lithuania)

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, a city known for its ancient architecture, world-class mobile internet connections and short work weeks. Workers here receive 30 days of annual leave and work a total of 1,716 hours.

10. Brussels (Belgium)

Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium but also the political center of the European Union. Despite being a busy political city, the total working hours here are among the shortest in the world, at 1,717 hours/year. However, compared to the cities in the top 10, the total number of paid vacation days that workers are entitled to here is the least, at just 18 days.

According to VNE/ CNN