Hours worked (ranges) (HRWRP)

Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
Reference period
2021

Definition

This variable indicates the number of hours worked in ranges by the employed person in all jobs during the week prior to Census night. This excludes any time off but includes overtime and extra time worked.

In standard Census products the data is generally published in ranges. Hours worked are also produced in single hours in Hours worked (HRSP).

Scope

Employed persons aged 15 years and over

Categories

CodeCategory
000 hours
011-9 hours
0210-19 hours
0320-29 hours
0430-34 hours
0535-39 hours
0640-44 hours
0745-49 hours
0850-59 hours
0960-69 hours
1070 hours or more
&&Not stated
@@Not applicable
VVOverseas visitor

Number of categories:  14

Not applicable (@@) category comprises:

  • Unemployed persons
  • Persons not in the labour force
  • Persons with Labour force status (LFSP), not stated
  • Persons aged under 15 years                         

  See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.              

Question(s) from the Census form

Last week, how many hours did the person work in all jobs?

How this variable is created

Data for this variable is captured automatically from written numeric responses, or the 'None' mark box on the paper form. Outlying values are checked manually to ensure that they match the actual response on the form. The data may include a small proportion of persons with an unusual number of hours worked, as all numeric responses are accepted as reported.

History and changes

The question relating to Hours worked was first asked in the 1966 Census. In 1971, 1976 and since 1996, the hours worked question has focused on hours worked in all jobs held in the week prior to the Census.

The Hours worked (ranges) variable was first introduced for the 2011 Census. Since 2016, the 'None' mark box from the question was removed from the online version of the Census form. 

For 2021, the output categories (ranges) for this variable have been updated to align with the Standards for labour force statistics, 2018. There are now more categories available.  

Data use considerations

Information on hours worked, classified by industry and occupation, allows changes in the labour force to be analysed. It also enhances the use of Journey to Work data for transport studies.

Hours worked, when used in combination with Labour force status (LFSP), provides information on full-time and part-time employment. For Census purposes, a person is considered to be working full-time if they worked 35 hours or more in all jobs during the week prior to Census night.

This variable is derived from the Hours worked (HRSP) variable. Unlike most Census variables, the non-response rate for Hours Worked (HRSP) is not affected by persons who did not return a Census form because this variable is only applicable to persons with a labour force status (LFSP) of 'employed'. Persons who do not respond to the labour force status questions have a labour force status of not stated and fall in the 'not applicable' category within the Hours Worked variable.

The non-response rate for Hours worked (HRSP) was 1.7% in 2021. This is a decrease from 1.9% in 2016.

Related variables and glossary terms

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