Australian Workers Are Robbed Of Six Weeks Overtime Annually - New Report

Shocking new research has found Australian workers are doing an average of six weeks unpaid overtime each year - that’s $92 billion in unpaid wages all up.

November 23 makes Go Home on Time Day, a day run by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future work - which aims to help bring to light the systemic problem of unpaid overtime.

The report found workers perform, on average, $8000 of unpaid work every year, or 4.3 hours a week. The report also found, over half of workers were unsatisfied with their working hours.

The report also asked respondents how they felt about the Federal Government’s recommended “Right to Disconnect” legislation, which directs employers to avoid contacting workers outside of working hours apart from emergencies; 84% of workers supported the laws.

“Our research shows unpaid overtime is a systemic, multibillion-dollar problem which robs Australian workers of time and money,” said Eliza Littleton, research economist at the Australia Institute and report author.

“This is time theft. Unpaid overtime harms our quality of life and reduces our time with family, friends, and those we care for.

“This Go Home on Time Day, our research reveals that unpaid overtime is robbing Australian workers and the economy of over $92 billion per year. This time theft only further exacerbates our current cost of living crisis.

She said the prevalence of overtime suggests that ‘availability creep’ has eroded work/life boundaries, making it harder for workers to stick to their paid working hours.