Hours of work

Two types of statistics of hours of work are presented in this chapter: average hours actually worked and average hours paid for.

The Resolution concerning statistics of hours of work adopted by the Tenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 1962) ¹ defines hours actually worked as follows:

5. (1) Statistics of hours actually worked should include:

(a): hours actually worked during normal periods of work;
(b): time worked in addition to hours worked during normal periods of work, and generally paid at higher rates than normal rates (overtime); time spent at the place of work on work such as the preparation of the workplace, repairs and maintenance, preparation and cleaning of tools, and the preparation of receipts, time sheets and reports;
(d): time spent at the place of work waiting or standing by for such reasons as lack of supply of work, breakdown of machinery, or accidents, or time spent at the place of work during which no work is done but for which payment is made under a guaranteed employment contract;
(e): time corresponding to short rest periods at the workplace, including tea and coffee breaks.

(2) Statistics of hours actually worked should exclude:

(a): hours paid for but not worked, such as paid annual leave, paid public holidays, paid sick leave;
(b): meal breaks;
(c): time spent on travel from home to work and vice versa.

National definitions of hours actually worked generally conform with the definition given by the Tenth Conference. Where such data are lacking, statistics of hours paid for are given.

The Tenth Conference did not adopt a definition of hours paid for because of the wide differences among countries with respect to wage payments for holidays and other periods when no work is performed. National statistics of hours paid for generally comprise, in addition to hours actually worked, hours paid for but not worked such as paid annual vacation, paid public holidays, paid sick leave and other paid leave.

The two types of statistics on hours of work are indicated in the tables by the following codes:

(a): Hours actually worked
(b): Hours paid for

The statistics of hours of work presented in tables 4A and 4B are mostly obtained from payroll data and derived from establishment sample surveys or censuses often furnishing at the same time data on wages and on employment. In a number of cases, they are derived from household sample surveys. For certain countries, data on hours of work are taken from social insurance statistics when they are not available from establishment or household surveys. The types of sources used are listed on page XVI. The data from these various sources are not fully comparable in view of differences in scope, coverage and methods of data collection. The tables generally show the average number of hours of work per week, but in a few cases hours per day or per month have been shown in the absence of hours per week. Some of the series cover wage earners (i.e. manual or production workers) only, while others refer to all employees (i.e. wage earners and salaried employees), or all persons employed (i.e. employees and persons in self-employment). Where they refer to specific groups of workers (e.g. adults, skilled or unskilled workers), this is indicated in footnotes. Unless otherwise stated, the series relate to workers of both sexes, irrespective of age. Data by sex are presented whenever possible.

Average hours actually worked or paid for per week or per month are normally compiled by dividing the total number of hours actually worked or paid for during a week or a month by the average number of workers on the payrolls during the same period. Average hours actually worked or paid for per day are generally compiled by dividing the total number of hours actually worked or paid for during a week, fortnight or month by the total number of days actually worked or paid for during the same period.

In making comparisons of data on hours of work, it should be borne in mind that the data are influenced by the number of days normally worked per week, regulations and customs regarding Saturday and overtime work, the extent of absenteeism, labour turnover, etc. In addition, conditions of work in agriculture are often quite different from those in other activities. The statistics may be affected by the length of the working day or week, as well as by seasonal fluctuations which may be more important in some countries than in others. Differences in national definitions of hours of work, the coverage of the series and the methods of compilation must also be taken into account.

For further information, see ILO: An integrated system of wages statistics: A manual on methods (Geneva, 1979). For information on the differences in scope, definitions and methods of calculation, etc., used for the various national series, see ILO: Sources and Methods: Labour Statistics (formerly Statistical Sources and Methods), Vol. 2 : "Employment, wages, hours of work and labour cost (establishment surveys)", second edition (Geneva, 1995); Vol. 3 : "Economically active population, employment, unemployment and hours of work (household surveys)", third edition (Geneva, 2004); Vol. 4 : "Employment, unemployment, wages and hours of work (administrative records and related sources)" (Geneva, 2004).

Table 4A

Hours of work, by economic activity

The data shown in this table cover, in principle, all major divisions or categories of economic activity. Divisions or categories are shown as codes with an indication of the classification which is used, and the name corresponding to each code is given in the Appendix. Where certain divisions or categories are only represented by certain of the groups composing them, this is indicated in footnotes.

In most cases, for a given country, the statistics on hours of work for different activities are drawn from the same source and cover the same categories of workers. The type of source of the series is shown as a code in parentheses following the name of the country, and the coverage in terms of categories of workers is shown on the first line of the table. Where the statistics are derived from different sources or where two or more series with different coverage are supplied, the series are shown separately.

Table 4B

Hours of work in manufacturing

This table shows hours of work per worker in manufacturing as a whole and by major industry group or division. As far as possible, the different industries have been arranged according to the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC) Revision 3, or its former version, ISIC Revision 2 (see Appendix) with the corresponding codes. Any differences are indicated in footnotes.

Note

¹ For the full text of the resolution, see ILO: Current international recommendations on labour statistics (Geneva, 1988).