Month | Working days | Working hours | Sat & Sun. | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
January | 22 | 176 | 8 | 1 |
February | 20 | 160 | 8 | 0 |
March | 21 | 168 | 10 | 0 |
April | 20 | 160 | 8 | 3 |
May | 20 | 160 | 9 | 2 |
June | 18 | 144 | 9 | 4 |
July | 23 | 184 | 8 | 0 |
August | 21 | 168 | 10 | 0 |
September | 22 | 176 | 8 | 0 |
October | 23 | 184 | 8 | 0 |
November | 20 | 160 | 10 | 0 |
December | 21 | 168 | 8 | 2 |
Total annual working hours | 251 | 2008 | 104 | 12 |
Average / Month | 20.92 | 167.33 | 8.67 | 1.00 |
Working days per year 2025
An average of 160 working hours per month or 250 working days per year is usually referred to when discussing workload. But these numbers are not always accurate. For example, for 2025, the number of working hours varies from 144 to 184, with an average of 167 hours each month. In total, there will be 251 working days, which leaves 116 days off. In the table below, we provide a detailed overview of the number of working days, working hours, Saturdays, Sundays and other days off - such as national holidays, Midsummer's Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is counted under "Sat & Sun". We base these calculations on a standard eight-hour workday. Which days are considered holidays in Sweden are defined by Lag (1989: 253) on public holidays. Most people have the following holidays off, even if they fall on a regular working day:
- New Year's Eve
- Christmas Eve
- Easter Day and Pentecost
- New Year's Day and Thirteenth Day of Christmas
- May 1
- Christmas Day and Christmas Eve
- Good Friday and Easter Monday
- Ascension Day
- Sweden's National Day
- Midsummer Day
- All Saints Day
- Midsummer Eve
Feel free to check out our calendar here on the right, which contains information such as e.g. name days and a little history about what happened on that particular day.
Easter Day and Pentecost
Easter Day
Easter Sunday, or the Sunday of the resurrection, is celebrated in memory of the resurrection of Jesus. This day falls on the Sunday of the Easter weekend. The Easter weekend has a variable date and takes place at different times each year, between March 22 and April 25. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This day is of the utmost importance in the Christian church because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after being buried on Good Friday. Easter Day is associated with worship services and Easter hymns. The services have many expressions of joy. White textiles, lilies and candles that adorn the altar are all associated with joy. Easter Day is celebrated in the church and in the Swedish folk home. In the homes, Easter food goes hot all Easter weekend. Eggs, lamb, pickled salmon, Jansson's temptation and many other goodies are eaten. Eggs go hand in hand with Easter and the eggs are a symbol of life, which is connected with the resurrection of Jesus. The egg represents life and from the hard shell, which is a symbol of the tomb, Jesus emerges. Furthermore, the color theme is yellow. Yellow decorations are everywhere throughout the Easter weekend. The yellow color is also associated with the egg, or rather the chicken that comes from the egg.Pentecost
Pentecost falls 10 days after Ascension Day and 7 weeks after Easter. The Christian tradition is celebrated in the church. The purpose is to remember that the Holy Spirit appeared to the disciples and thus also formed the first Christian church. Therefore, Pentecost is usually seen as the church's birthday. Pentecost is also called the time of rapture. Historically, Pentecost has been centered on the celebration of the church building. The church has been decorated with, among other things, leaf litter and candles. In an even older tradition, Pentecost has been a day of sacrifice. Here a Pentecostal bride was brought to the church halls and from yard to yard to solicit gifts. She was dressed in wedding clothes, though usually not of as good quality as at a real wedding. The tradition of Pentecostal bride became something controversial which today has a completely different meaning, as it is common to get married on Pentecost.Ascension Day
The name of the feast is revealing. The ascension of Christ falls on the 40th day after Easter. The weekend is based on the lunar cycles like many other festive weekends and therefore falls on different dates each year. This day the churches are decorated in white. On the Ascension of Christ, it is celebrated that Jesus left the earth and was taken to heaven. In Sweden, we have historically also called the holiday the grazing release, when the animals were now allowed to go out to pasture. This day has also been associated with being the first day of summer. Winter clothes are put away and women go barefoot. Ascension Day has also gone by the name of Metadar Day, when it was now that summer fishing began. In folklore, one can also call the day the "Pilot of Christ".
Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday. There has been a fire like a valborg during the Ascension of Christ. The purpose of these fires is believed to be to scare away wolves. Since the date of the Ascension of Christ varies from year to year and extends between April 30 - June 3, it can fall on the same day as the first of May or Valborg. From this we probably see that these festivals share certain traditions.
This day is historically marked with a stamp of freedom in Sweden. Something we have done through the ages is to take the first excursions of the year early in the morning, also called "cuckoo". This is to greet and welcome the warmth of the spring sun. The cuckoo is made at the time in the spring when the cuckoo starts to gala. In modern times, people usually go on picnics and bird watching under cuckoos. In church contexts, services are usually held. Finally, the Ascension of Christ was also a day off in the sense that young people could now socialize without being guarded as strictly by their parents.
Outside the church and in modern society, few celebrate Ascension Day for special reasons. It is common for the day to lead to a long weekend when the Ascension of Christ always falls on a Thursday and Friday then becomes a squeezing day. Therefore, most people probably think that the day is somehow worth celebrating.