Annual working hours per worker in Australia
Australia: Annual working hours per worker was 1,611 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in Australia, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in Australia is 1,611 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Australia peaked at 2,792 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,588 hours per worker, in 2022.
That places Australia 105th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2,792 hours per worker | 2,792 hours per worker | 2,792 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,647 hours per worker | 2,647 hours per worker | 2,647 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,501 hours per worker | 2,501 hours per worker | 2,501 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,385 hours per worker | 2,385 hours per worker | 2,385 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,214 hours per worker | 2,214 hours per worker | 2,214 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,186 hours per worker | 2,186 hours per worker | 2,186 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,109 hours per worker | 2,109 hours per worker | 2,109 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 1,947 hours per worker | 1,867 hours per worker | 2,030 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,834 hours per worker | 1,819 hours per worker | 1,849 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,785 hours per worker | 1,767 hours per worker | 1,816 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,754 hours per worker | 1,734 hours per worker | 1,785 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,738 hours per worker | 1,724 hours per worker | 1,749 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,692 hours per worker | 1,672 hours per worker | 1,738 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,649 hours per worker | 1,632 hours per worker | 1,662 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,599 hours per worker | 1,588 hours per worker | 1,611 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More work & labour data for Australia
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 66.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 88.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 77.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Australia?
- Annual working hours per worker in Australia was 1,611 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,792 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,588 hours per worker in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Australia ranks 105th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.