Who works hardest? Study has answer

Photo / Supplied

Farmers, managers and drivers are more likely to work long hours than any other New Zealanders, the Families Commission has found.

The study shows about half the people in all three groups - double the national average of 23 per cent - work more than 50 hours a week.

It also finds that the key to whether people working long hours are happy with their hours is the extent to which they can be flexible and control their own working patterns.

"It's the flexibility around that whole give and take," said Sandra Alofivae, a Manukau youth advocate who was the Families Commissioner working on the project.

"If you have a happy employee, you are going to get a much better result from them."

The 100-page report includes in-depth interviews with 17 families as well as analysis of 2006 Census figures and other studies.

It is the first research the commission has published since this week's appointment of Christine Rankin as one of the seven Families Commissioners from June 1.

Ms Rankin has criticised much of the commission's research as "telling us what we already know".

The latest report ties with previous reports recommending more paid parental leave, and more support for childcare and after-school care to help families balance work and family time.

Australia's Government leapfrogged New Zealand's 14-week paid parental leave this week, announcing paid leave for 18 weeks at the minimum wage for primary carers of A$544 ($698) a week.

The New Zealand maximum is $407 a week, below the minimum 40-hour wage of $500.

The Families Commission recommended in 2007 that parental leave should be extended to a year, plus four weeks for fathers, and paid at 80 per cent of the average wage for 14 weeks, then 66 per cent of the average wage. The average ordinary-time wage is $927 a week.

The new report says 32 per cent of men and 12 per cent of women work at least 50 hours a week.

The numbers working at least 50 hours generally increased with income, from less than a fifth of those earning $25,000 to $30,000 a year to more than half of those on more than $100,000.

But most of those working long hours are on low incomes, working overtime or two jobs to provide for their families.

More than half those working at least 85 hours a week made less than $40,000 a year.

In one family interviewed in depth, the mother, a caregiver, worked from 11pm to 7am at one hospital and often took casual evening shifts at another hospital from 3.30pm to 10.30pm, sleeping only three or four hours after getting her children off to school.

Her bus-driver husband worked from 3pm to 11pm, relying on grandparents to care for their four young children.

The mother said she couldn't turn down the extra casual shifts "because our rent is going up, and power bills, telephone and petrol as well, the children's school things, everything is going up".

In other families, the children resented not having much time with their parents and missed out on sports and other activities because their parents could not take them there.

"The time that parents who worked long hours did get to spend with their children was often time in the car, either early in the morning or in the evening driving to and from work and school or creche or ferrying children to weekend activities," the report says.

www.nzfamilies.org.nz