The Changing Distribution of Working Hours in Australia

Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 19/07

Date: July 2007

Author(s):

Mark Wooden
Robert Drago

Abstract

This paper presents statistical evidence on the nature of working time arrangements in Australia, and especially their distribution. More specifically, the paper analyses: (i) the distribution of weekly working hours in Australia and how that has changed over time; (ii) the extent of mismatch between usual and preferred hours of work, and the degree of persistence in such mismatch; (iii) annual leave usage and its correlation with weekly hours of work; and (iv) how working time arrangements in Australia compare with that in other industrial nations.

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