Hours of work needed … jobless family claiming minimum income benefits in Canada
Canada: Hours of work needed … jobless family claiming minimum income benefits was 20 Hours per week in 2025. ▲ Rising
Hours of work needed to escape poverty — Working hours needed to in Canada, 2001–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Hours per week.
Analysis
In 2025, hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to in Canada stood at 20 Hours per week.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.3% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to in Canada peaked at 22 Hours per week in 2019 and was at its lowest, 19 Hours per week, in 2001.
That places Canada 10th out of 31 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Hours of work needed … jobless family claiming minimum income benefits in Canada, year by year
| Year | Hours per week | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 19 Hours per week | — |
| 2002 | 20 Hours per week | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 19 Hours per week | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 20 Hours per week | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 19 Hours per week | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 20 Hours per week | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 19 Hours per week | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 19 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20 Hours per week | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21 Hours per week | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 21 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 22 Hours per week | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 21 Hours per week | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 21 Hours per week | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22 Hours per week | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 20 Hours per week | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 19 Hours per week | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 20 Hours per week | +5.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 20 Hours per week is above the median for high income countries, which is 20 Hours per week, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.56 Hours per week | 19 Hours per week | 20 Hours per week | 9 |
| 2010s | 20.3 Hours per week | 19 Hours per week | 22 Hours per week | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.5 Hours per week | 19 Hours per week | 22 Hours per week | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 8 Türkiye 8 Hours per week compare
- 8 Austria 23 Hours per week compare
- 9 Spain 21 Hours per week compare
- 10 Italy 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 Romania 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 Hungary 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 Portugal 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 Switzerland 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 OECD 20 Hours per week compare
- 10 Bulgaria 20 Hours per week compare
More economy & growth data for Canada
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -14.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8812 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0101 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 560.16 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.0258 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0073 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 409.02 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.65 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to in Canada?
- Hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to in Canada was 20 Hours per week in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 22 Hours per week in 2019.
- What is the lowest hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 19 Hours per week in 2001.
- How does Canada rank for hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to?
- Canada ranks 10th out of 31 countries with data for 2025.
- Is hours of work needed to escape poverty — working hours needed to rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Hours of work needed to escape poverty — Working hours needed to escape poverty for a jobless family claiming minimum income benefits. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This indicator measures the working hours needed to escape poverty for a jobless family claiming minimum income benefits. Calculations for families with children assume 2 children aged 4 and 6 who do not use formal childcare.