Fewer Australians working 40 hours or more per week

In 2011, 45 per cent of Australian workers put in a 40-hour week, but the 2021 data showed that now only 38 per cent of workers are clocking up the same hours.

And of those working 40 hours or more, nearly all (86 per cent) did fewer than 15 hours of domestic work. However, a third (35 per cent) had childcare responsibilities and 11 per cent provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age.

The Northern Territory and Western Australia continued to report the highest proportion of people working 40-plus hours a week, at 44 per cent and 42 per cent. Tasmania reported the lowest proportion at 33 per cent.

The median hours worked by Australians remained unchanged at 38 hours. The mining industry recorded the highest median at 48 hours and the accommodation and food industry the lowest at 20 hours.

The number of hours worked varied by occupation.

“Interestingly, School Principals worked as many hours as Surgeons, with each recording a median of 50 hours per week,” Dr Gruen added. 

While there are a lower proportion of people working very long hours, most people still work full-time. In the week before the census, more than 7 million people worked full-time, 4 million worked part-time and 1 million were away from work.