Time is a relative concept. Don't worry, we're not talking in an Einstein, speed-of-light kind of way. We mean in a practical, ...
Most of us feel like times when we're enjoying ourselves go by quicker, while times when we're unhappy, bored or stressed seem to drag on forever. This is why sometimes, when you're at work, you can feel like you've had the longest day of your life before you even take a lunch break.
Because everybody feels like they put in long hours on the job, we wanted to figure out which workers actually dowork the longest hours. So, we dug up some statistics on who puts in the most time at work, below.
The industries that work the most
You'll probably be surprised to know that, at 44.2 hours per week, workers in mining and logging put in the most hours on the job, according to July 2011 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those in mining and logging were followed by workers in:
-Utilities 41.7
-Durable goods 40.6
-Manufacturing 40.3
-Goods-producing 39.8
-Nondurable goods 39.8
-Wholesale trade 38.6
-Transportation and warehousing 38.6
-Construction 38.3
-Financial activities 37.4
-Information 36.6
-Professional and business services 35.7
-Trade, transportation, and utilities 34.5
-Private service-providing 33.2
-Education and health services 32.9
-Retail trade 31.4
-Leisure and hospitality 25.8
Since the weekly averages above encompass broad industries, though, employees in the jobs and subsectors within each industry may be required to put in far more time.
Doctors, for example, fall under the "education and health services" umbrella, but most work more than the industry average of 32.9 hours per week. According to BLS data, in 2008, 43 percent of physicians and surgeons worked 50 or more hours each week.
Similarly, those who work in investment banking, a subsector of the "financial activities" industry, also typically put in longer hours than the weekly average suggests.
According to Finbox.com, an online community for professionals in financial services, employees at large investment banks work closer to 60 hours per week. For example, employees at Piper Jaffray, the bank with the longest hours, work an average of 59.9 hours per week; while at both Credit Suisse and Macquarie, the two banks with the second-longest hours, workers averaged 57.8 hours per week.
The states that work the most
According to a 2010 report from the U.S. Labor Department, residents of Nevada put in the most time at work, averaging 37 hours per week. Rounding out the top-10 states with the longest workweeks were:
-Wyoming 36.7
-Louisiana 36.5
-Texas 36.3
-Kentucky 36.2
-Alabama 36.0
-District of Columbia 35.8
-Mississippi 35.6
-South Carolina 35.6
-Oklahoma 35.5
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