Australian Workers Face Unpaid Labor Crisis Young Employees Hit Harder Than Ever
Australian Workers Face Unpaid Labor Crisis: Young Employees Hit Harder Than Ever
A recent report by the Australia Institute reveals that, on average, Australian employees performed 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week last year. The burden was even heavier for those aged 18 to 29, who clocked in an average of 7.4 hours of uncompensated labor.
Chinese migrant Wong, in her late 20s, had anticipated a balanced work-life culture before starting her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne. She had heard that Australian workplaces typically respected a nine-to-five schedule and avoided contacting employees during their personal time.
However, Wong quickly discovered that her reality was starkly different. Her boss frequently requested her to complete tasks after her official working hours. Wong described her experience of overwork in Australia as being "worse" than in China, which is notorious for its grueling "996" work culture—where employees often work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.
A recent report by the Australia Institute reveals that, on average, Australian employees performed 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week last year. The burden was even heavier for those aged 18 to 29, who clocked in an average of 7.4 hours of uncompensated labor.
Chinese migrant Wong, in her late 20s, had anticipated a balanced work-life culture before starting her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne. She had heard that Australian workplaces typically respected a nine-to-five schedule and avoided contacting employees during their personal time.
However, Wong quickly discovered that her reality was starkly different. Her boss frequently requested her to complete tasks after her official working hours. Wong described her experience of overwork in Australia as being "worse" than in China, which is notorious for its grueling "996" work culture—where employees often work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today is Monday August 26, 2024.
00:05Australian workers face unpaid labour crisis, young employees hit harder than ever.
00:10A recent report by the Australia Institute reveals that, on average, Australian employees
00:16performed 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week last year.
00:21The burden was even heavier for those aged 18-29, who clocked in an average of 7.4 hours
00:27of uncompensated labour.
00:29Chinese migrant Wang, in her late twenties, had anticipated a balanced work-life culture
00:35before starting her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne.
00:40She had heard that Australian workplaces typically respected a 9-to-5 schedule and avoided contacting
00:45employees during their personal time.
00:48However, Wang quickly discovered that her reality was starkly different.
00:53Her boss frequently requested her to complete tasks after her official working hours.
00:59Wang described her experience of overwork in Australia as being worse than in China,
01:04which is notorious for its gruelling 996-work culture where employees often work from 9am
01:11to 9pm, six days a week.
01:14�I worked in private tutoring when I was in China,� Wang shared, asking to be identified
01:19only by her surname.
01:22�But the overwork here has been far more challenging.
01:25During that time, I occasionally had to respond to messages from parents at night, but it
01:30didn�t consume much of my personal time.�
01:34Chris Wright, an associate professor in the discipline of work and organisational studies
01:38at the University of Sydney, highlighted that while Australians are often perceived as enjoying
01:44leisure, they actually work longer hours compared to many other developed nations.
01:50Wright referred to the 2018 OECD Better Life Index, which found that full-time workers
01:55in Australia dedicate 14.4 hours per day to personal care and leisure, slightly below
02:01the OECD average of 15 hours.
02:05The index also revealed that 13% of Australian employees work extremely long hours, in contrast
02:11to the OECD average of 10%.
02:15Wright explained to Al Jazeera that some studies in Australia suggest technology has
02:19blurred the boundaries between work life and personal life.
02:23This blurring is a common feature of Australian work culture.
02:28Employees may adhere to standard working hours, but often continue working after leaving the
02:33office.
02:34Despite these long working hours, Wright noted that Australia has experienced slow productivity
02:39growth over the past two decades, with labour productivity across the economy declining
02:45by March 7% in 2022-2023.
02:50Wright expressed hope that the right to disconnect law could enhance Australia�s productivity
02:54by encouraging companies to adopt more efficient work practices.
02:59Countries with shorter work hours, such as France with its 35-hour work week, have faced
03:04criticism but have also seen positive productivity outcomes, Wright noted.
03:10He believes that right to disconnect laws could prompt Australian companies to develop
03:14smarter ways of working.
03:17Michelle O�Neill, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, stated that her organisation
03:23had been advocating for the right to disconnect for years.
03:26�We�re pleased that it�s now a legal right for workers in Australia, as it reinforces
03:31the principle that workers should be compensated for all the work they do,� O�Neill told
03:36reporters.
03:37However, business lobby groups have voiced their opposition to the new law.
03:42Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, argued that the issue
03:48of allowing employees to disconnect after hours should be managed within workplaces
03:52rather than through legislation.
03:55The government�s new laws, including changes to the definitions of casual employees and
04:00independent contractors, will increase red tape and union power, while decreasing productivity
04:05and harming our economy at a critical time, Black told Al Jazeera.
04:11Our employment laws should encourage job creation rather than add more bureaucracy to the hiring
04:16process.
04:17The new law does not prevent employers from contacting employees, and bosses can argue
04:22that an employee�s refusal to respond is unreasonable, raising concerns about whether
04:27employees will feel comfortable ignoring calls and messages.
04:31Wong, who was frustrated by her boss�s frequent communications outside of work hours, said
04:37she would hesitate to exercise this right for fear of receiving a negative performance
04:42review.
04:43Nonetheless, John Hopkins, an associate professor of management at Swinburne University of Technology,
04:51suggested that the law could help shift Australia�s always-on-work culture.
04:55The law will hopefully spark conversations about what constitutes reasonable and unreasonable
05:00contact outside of work hours, Hopkins told Al Jazeera.
05:05It will encourage discussions about the nature and necessity of after-hours communication.
05:10Why are employers reaching out to employees outside of work hours � is it really essential?
05:16Hopefully, this will lead to a reduction in unnecessary contact, he added.
05:22Most importantly, the law gives employees the right to ignore these messages until they
05:27return to work.