MEDIA RELEASE
May 31, 2007	Embargoed 11.30 am (AEST)	61/2007
Queensland workers happy with their hours: ABS

Queensland's wage and salary earners are mostly happy with their current work hours or would like to work fewer hours, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In October 2006, nearly one third (31%) of all Queensland wage and salary earners worked more than 40 hours a week. More than half (51%) prefer their current hours; one third of workers (33%) would prefer fewer hours, and 14% would prefer more.

Men aged 35-44 worked the most hours per week, at 45 hours on average; for women the most was 34 hours on average, worked by the 25-34 age group. The most common reason given for working their usual hours was that they were standard, award or contract hours.

Sixty-three percent of wage and salary earners who worked unpaid overtime were not compensated for this work. Other characteristics of overtime include:

• Men worked on average 8 unpaid hours a week, compared with 7 hours for women.
• Across occupations, managers and professionals put in the highest number of unpaid hours, with nearly half of each occupation (42% and 41% respectively) working an average of 9 unpaid hours per week.
• Industries with the highest proportions of workers with paid overtime were manufacturing (28%), construction (27%) and electricity, gas, water and waste services (25%).
• The education and training industry had the lowest proportion of workers with paid overtime (1.7%), but nearly half (47%) were working an average of 10.6 unpaid hours a week.

Further information can be found in Preferred Working Hours of Wage and Salary Earners, Queensland, October 2006 (cat. no. 6365.3)