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Canadians working more than 40 hours per week
About one quarter of Canadian adults work more than 40 hours per week. The proportion of Canadian workers aged 25 and plus putting in more than 40 actual hours has changed little in 20 years, edging down from 26% in 1989 to 24% in 2008. The proportion of those reporting more than 40 usual hours per week fell a bit more—from 20% to 16% during the same period.
Actual hours, which underpin measures of productivity, include any paid or unpaid overtime, and reflect changes in work hours due to illness, vacation, overtime and irregular work schedules. Usual hours worked exclude overtime. For the self-employed, this measure refers to the number of hours usually worked in a typical week, regardless of whether they were paid.
Actual hours are affected by both labour demand and structural factors. Alberta—with high labour demand through most of 2008—had the highest proportion (30%) of people aged 25 and over working more than 40 actual hours per week. In contrast, Quebec had the lowest proportion (19%).
Structural factors are also part of the story. For example, Alberta had the lowest unionization rate (22.7%) in 2008, while Quebec was second only to Newfoundland and Labrador, with a unionization rate of 35.5%.
Chart - Proportion of Canadians aged 25 and over working more than 40 hours per week at their main job in 2008
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey.
Table - Proportion of Canadians aged 25 and over working more than 40 hours per week at their main job in 2008
Related to this topic:
Understanding Regional Differences in Work Hours by Andrew Heisz and Sébastien LaRochelle-Côté, Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series, Statistics Canada, 2007.
Unionization — 2008 update, Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada.
