Australian workers log six hours of unpaid work weekly

ADP Research found that 38% of Australian workers do at least six hours of unpaid work a week, matching the global average in its latest People at Work 2026 study.

The research also found that 12% of Australian workers put in 16 or more unpaid hours each week, highlighting a sizeable amount of work taking place beyond paid time. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics average hourly earnings of $47.90 for non-managerial employees, six extra hours a week over 48 working weeks would amount to about AUD $13,800 in labour.

Levels of unpaid work varied by employer size. Among employees at medium-sized organisations, 44% said they worked at least six unpaid hours a week, compared with 38% at small organisations and 35% at large organisations.

The pattern was more pronounced higher up the management ladder. More than half of C-suite executives, 54%, and 51% of upper managers said they worked at least six unpaid hours a week. That compared with 44% of middle managers, 37% of frontline managers and 26% of individual contributors.

Senior staff were also more likely to report the longest stretches of unpaid work. Almost a quarter of Australian C-suite executives, 23%, said they worked 16 or more unpaid hours each week, compared with 16% of upper managers, 13% of middle managers, 10% of frontline managers and 8% of individual contributors.

By role

The findings also showed a divide by type of work. Knowledge workers were the most likely to report unpaid overtime, with 49% saying they worked at least six unpaid hours each week. The equivalent figures were 35% for skilled task workers and 26% for repetitive task workers.

The survey did not determine why employees worked unpaid hours. Globally, however, workers who reported longer unpaid hours were also more likely to experience stress, feel less productive and look for a new job.

Kylie Baullo, General Manager, ANZ and Japan, ADP, said: "There is no single explanation for why employees work unpaid hours. Workload pressures, staffing constraints, skills gaps and workplace expectations can all play a role. Employers should pay attention when additional unpaid hours become a consistent pattern."

Baullo also linked the issue to seniority and workplace expectations. "Senior roles naturally come with greater responsibilities, but consistently working additional unpaid hours should not be seen as an inevitable part of career progression," she said. "Organisations need to consider whether expectations, resources and support are keeping pace with growing responsibilities. Leaders also have a role in setting healthy norms so that working beyond scheduled hours does not become an unspoken expectation across their teams."

Survey scope

The unpaid work findings form part of ADP Research's annual global workforce survey. The study gathered responses from more than 39,000 working adults across 36 markets, with the data broken down by geography, job type and employer size.

For employers, the Australian figures suggest unpaid work is not concentrated in one segment of the labour market. Instead, it appears across business sizes and occupations, with the highest incidence among medium-sized organisations, managers and knowledge workers.

Baullo said: "Unpaid hours can be a signal to look more closely at how work is distributed and supported. Employers should seek to understand whether additional hours arise from short-term demands or ongoing staffing, skills or workload pressures."

She added: "Better workforce visibility, together with clear priorities, appropriate resources and realistic expectations, can help organisations address underlying pressures and support sustainable workloads and employee wellbeing."