How many working days per month are there on average?
The average number of working days per month can be important for the planning of projects, the calculation of salaries and the overall time management of a company.
However, the answer to the question of how many working days a month has on average is not always the same, as various factors play a role. These include the working model, regional differences and public holidays.
In this article, we look at the average number of working days per month and how you can easily calculate this figure yourself, depending on your working model.
Working day: Definition
A working day is a calendar day on which an employee is obliged to work. By definition, working days differ from working days. While working days are defined by law as all days from Monday to Saturday, working days only include days on which work is actually performed.
For most employees in Germany, the days from Monday to Friday count as working days if a five-day week has been agreed.
How are working days actually calculated?
When calculating the monthly working days in this example, we assume a five-day week for illustrative purposes. This means that there are five working days per week, e.g. from Monday to Friday.
To calculate the average number of working days per month, the entire year is taken as a basis. A year has 365 days, in a leap year there are 366. First, in the case of a 5-day week, the 52 Sundays and 52 Saturdays are deducted, as they are considered days off in most working models. In addition, there are nine public holidays, which on average fall on a weekday each year. These public holidays differ depending on the federal state, but an average value is used for a general calculation.
The calculation, which we can use as a rule of thumb, is therefore as follows:
- 365 days a year
- minus 52 Sundays
- minus 52 Saturdays (not to be deducted in the case of a six-day week from Monday to Saturday)
- minus 52 days for each additional weekday off, depending on the working model
- minus 9 public holidays
The days resulting from this calculation must then be divided by 12 to arrive at the average number of working days per month.
On average, a month has 21 working days, although February, with 28 or 29 days, naturally has fewer working days on average than other months, regardless of the working model.
Influence of public holidays
If a public holiday falls on a weekday, the number of working days in that month is reduced. For example, the month of May in Germany often has fewer working days than other months due to several public holidays such as Labor Day (May 1) and Ascension Day.
Working days per month: differences according to working model
The number of working days also varies depending on the working model. In Germany, there are numerous part-time models in addition to the five-day model or the six-day model.
Five-day week
The five-day week model is the most widespread model in Germany today. In this model, the employee usually works from Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday as weekend days off. As we saw in our example calculation above, a five-day week results in an average of 21 working days per month, depending on the number of calendar days and public holidays.
Six-day week
The six-day week model often involves a working week from Monday to Saturday. This model is more common in sectors such as retail or gastronomy. With a six-day week, the number of working days per month increases to an average of 25, although monthly fluctuations must also be taken into account here.
Part-time models
Part-time models are flexible and allow employees to adapt their working hours to their personal needs. The number of working days per month can vary greatly. For example, a part-time employee who only works three days a week has fewer working days per month than a full-time employee.
By applying our formula above, you can quickly and independently determine the average number of working days to be expected per month for each case.
Significance of working days for calculating vacation
The number of working days is also important for vacation planning important. In Germany, the statutory minimum holiday entitlement is calculated on the basis of working days per week. With a five-day week, employees are entitled to at least 20 days’ vacation per year.
If the working model or the number of working days changes, this has a direct impact on the vacation entitlement.
Questions and answers about working days per month
Why are there fluctuations in the number of working days?
The average number of working days per month varies due to several factors. These include the number of calendar days, the distribution of weekends and public holidays, which can vary from state to state. These factors mean that the number of working days in a month is not constant.
How do I calculate my working days in a particular month?
To calculate the number of working days in a particular month, first subtract your days off (e.g. Saturday and Sunday) that fall in this month from the calendar days. Then subtract the public holidays that fall in this month. The remaining days are the actual working days.
Are there differences between the federal states?
Yes, the number of working days can vary from state to state, as some states have additional public holidays. Bavaria, for example, has more public holidays than other federal states, which slightly reduces the number of working days per year.
Average working days per month: sometimes with considerable differences
The average number of working days per month therefore varies depending on the calendar year and region. On average, the number of working days per month for a standard working time model is 21.
In addition to traditional working time models, flexible working time models such as flexitime or trust-based working time are becoming increasingly common. With these models, the number of working days per month can vary, as employees have more freedom in organizing their working hours.
The sector and occupation can also have an influence on the average number of working days per month. In professions with shift work or in the healthcare sector, work may also be performed on weekends and public holidays, which makes the calculation of average working days more complex.
Teamhero: maintaining an overview, even with flexible working models
Especially in companies with many employees and different working time models, it can be difficult to keep track of the number of working days for all employees.
In such cases, only HR management software with features such as employee databases, time recording functions and shift planning modules can help. Teamhero offers all this and more and has already prevented a lot of headaches in various HR departments of personnel-intensive companies.
Do you want easy management of all your employee data and a better overview? Contact us us today and we’ll make it possible.
