Occupation and Long Hours

This section of the report outlines the proportions of workers in each occupation who report working 50 or more hours each week, before moving to an analysis of the distribution of occupations amongst long hours workers.
An analysis of a number of broad groups of occupations indicates that “Agricultural and Fishery Workers” are the most likely to work long hours, followed by “Legislators, Administrators and Managers”. Figure 17 shows the relative proportions of workers in each occupation who report working 50–59 hours and 60 or more hours each week.

Figure 17: Percentages of long hours workers by occupation

Data Table for Figure 17

In order to explore long hours across occupations using a finer breakdown of categories, working hours were compared using an ANZSCO classification that divides occupations into 43 categories. The occupations were then ranked according to the proportions and absolute numbers of workers who reported working long hours each week.

Table 2 shows the 43 occupational categories by the percentage and number of workers in that occupation who work 50 or more hours a week. The column “% 50+” shows the proportion of workers in each occupation who work long hours, while the column “Ranking 50+” indicates where the occupation is ranked relative to the proportions of long hours workers in other occupations. For example, 56% of “Farmers and Farm Managers” report working 50 or more hours each week, while around half of “Chief Executives, General Managers and Legislators” report working these hours. These occupations contain the highest percentages of long hours workers, and thus they are ranked first and second relative to the proportions of long hours workers in other occupations.

The next two columns “Absolute Number 50+” and “Absolute ranking” show the actual number of workers in each occupation who report working 50 or more hours each week and where each occupation ranks in terms of these actuals. Differences in the rankings of the proportions of long hours workers and the actual number of long hours workers is evident in a number of occupations.

Three of the occupations with the highest actual number of long hours workers do not appear in the ten occupations with the highest percentage of long hours workers. More than 15,000 “Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals” report working 50 or more hours a week, making it the seventh largest occupational group of long hours workers; however, as this represents less than 20% of the total workforce in this area, it is ranked in the middle of the occupational ranking. Similarly, while 30% of “Construction and Mining Labourers” report working long hours, the small numbers in this area mean than this represents only 4,647 workers, meaning that this occupation is ranked below the mid-point for actual numbers of long hours workers.

The final two columns in the table are “% of total 50+,” and “% of workforce.” These columns indicate the proportion of workers in each occupation, as a percentage of all long hours workers, and as a percentage of the total workforce. Differences between the two columns indicate that a particular occupation is under- or over-represented in long hours workers. If the number in the “% of total 50+” is larger than the number in “% of workforce”, this indicates that the occupation is over-represented in long hours workers; conversely, if the number in the “% of total 50+” is smaller than the number in “% of workforce”, this indicates that the occupation is under-represented in those working long hours.

For example, of those working 50 or more hours a week, 8.28% are “Farmers or Farm Managers” (but farmers make up only 3.31% of the total workforce), 7.94% are “Chief Executives, General Managers or Legislators” (who make up only 3.67% of the total workforce), and 4.94% are “Road or Rail Drivers” (who make up only 2.3% of the total workforce). As such, these occupations contain greater numbers of long hours workers relative to the total workforce.

Occupations that are under-represented in terms of long hours work include “Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals” (who make up 3.88% of long hours workers but 4.54% of the total workforce), “Sales Assistants and Sales Persons” (who make up 2.76% of long hours workers but 5.49% of the total workforce) and “General Clerical Workers” (who make up 1.01% of long hours workers but 3.36% of the total workforce.)