Spain implements 35-hour week for public sector workers

Spain’s government has implemented a 35-hour working week for approximately 220,000–246,500 public sector employees in the General State Administration (AGE), effective mid-April 2026. The agreement, finalised with unions CSIF, CCOO, and UGT, also reduces hours for employees on special 40-hour schedules to 37.5 hours and introduces a new “caregiver” reconciliation figure.

Why this matters: While this applies only to the public sector, it adds momentum to Spain’s broader push towards reduced working hours. The government’s stalled 37.5-hour week bill for all workers – which has been in parliamentary limbo since late 2025 – could gain political traction from a successful public sector pilot. For remote workers in Spain, any eventual reduction in the standard working week would affect autonomo billing norms and employer expectations around availability.

The public sector reduction follows the pattern seen across several European countries experimenting with shorter weeks. Spain joins Portugal, Belgium, and Iceland in implementing formal shorter-hours frameworks, though each takes a different approach – Belgium’s is a compressed four-day option rather than an hours reduction. The private sector bill, if revived, would reduce the standard 40-hour week to 37.5 hours without a proportional pay cut.

For remote workers considering Spain, our complete guide to remote work in Spain covers the current employment framework, and the autonomo guide explains how working hours affect self-employed registration.