Take a stand: Dutch workers sit nine hours a day

Employees in the Netherlands sit an average of nine hours per workday, according to figures from Dutch statistics agency CBS released this week.

Although that's one more hour than the typical workday, the numbers show that in 2024, people sat on average 4.5 hours while working, 1.1 while commuting (not counting cycling) and 3.3 hours in free time at the home or work office.

That number has hardly changed in the past five years: in 2019, employees sat for an average of 8.6 hours per day as compared to 8.9 hours last year. ICT professionals sit the most (7.1 hours/day), with accountants and other people in business and administrative positions also highly sedentary.

People in the service sector, including waiters and cleaners, sit the least – some 1.1 hours a day. In addition, home workers were found to sit more than twice as long as those who work outside the home.

The results are based on 60,000 employees who were asked by Statistics Netherlands (NEA) how long they sit for during a typical workday. Lots of sitting and little exercise, said CBS, come with health risks and social costs – what research agency TNO , according to the Financieele Dagblad , calls “a new occupational risk”.

Occupational physician Femke van Leeuwen told the FD that there is “definitely” a movement underway. “But behavioral change takes a lot of time,” she said. Employees and employers must each do their part to encourage a healthier work lifestyle.

Small steps, she said, can make a big difference. “It's good for your blood pressure, blood sugar, and fat metabolism to move briefly regularly—preferably every half hour, especially if you have mental or physical complaints. This allows people with sedentary jobs to reduce the negative effects of sitting for long periods.”

The experts say hourly exercising – even just dancing around the office – can help, as can sit-stand furniture.

“It takes an average of 66 days to adopt a habit,” said Van Leeuwen. “Then it's under your hood, and you no longer have to argue with yourself…. Every habit that improves your sedentary habits is a good one. You'll have more energy at the end of the day, be less tired and probably be more productive at work.”