KEY POINTS:
More than 150 years after a carpenter in Petone famously insisted on working an eight-hour day, one in three full-time workers are clocking up more than 50 hours a week.
Those most likely to be working more than 50 hours are men and they are those with both high qualifications and no qualifications at all.
That is according to an analysis of 2006 Census data, commissioned by the Families Commission and the Department of Labour, which says it is now targeting the employers and employees identified as working long hours.
Craig Armitage, a deputy secretary at the department, said the department and other government agencies would be forceful about problem areas and try to increase awareness.
"The fact that we work long hours is not a surprise. But the research gives insights into where it is happening," he said.
New Zealand had long ranked highly in international surveys of work hours.
"This research provides a timely reminder of the importance of employers and employees working together to ensure that they have safe working conditions and access to flexible working arrangements that help them balance their work with other things that are important to them," he said.
Unions which support the Labour Party argue that New Zealand has a culture of working long hours and that years after carpenter Samuel Parnell was credited with winning an eight-hour working day in 1840 a 40-hour working week is not a reality for many.
From July 1 this year workers responsible for caring for someone else can request a variation of working hours once they have been with an employer for six months.
The research revealed that 415,641 workers reported working more than 50 hours a week. This is equal to 22.68 per cent of the workforce and 29.08 per cent of full-time workers.
Three quarters of those working long hours are men.
There was no particular ethnic makeup of the group working long hours though European and those listed as Other were slightly more likely to work long hours.
Those earning more than $100,001 make up 5 per cent of the workforce but 12 per cent of those working long hours.
A quarter of the men working 50 hours or more earned more than $70,000 a year, while only 17 per cent of women working these hours earned above this level.
Occupation groups identified as working long hours include specialist managers, chief executives, farmers, legislators, education professions, hospitality, retail and service managers and train and truck drivers.
Workers with young children were slightly over represented in the group identified as working long hours and so were workers with three or four children.
"This research is another reminder of the significant number of New Zealanders who are working long hours and the negative impact that this can have on their personal work-life balance and the time they spend with their families and in the community," Mr Armitage said.
He said long working hours could have a negative impact on health and safety in certain industries, and lead to reduced workplace productivity .
- NZPA
