The unpaid hours quietly eating into Australians’ working week

• More than one in three Australian workers (38 per cent) put in at least six unpaid hours a week, including 12 per cent who work 16 or more.
• More than half of Australian C-suite executives and upper managers work at least six unpaid hours weekly, compared with 26 per cent of individual contributors.
• Globally, workers who log longer unpaid hours are more likely to feel stressed and less productive, and to look for a new job, ADP Research found.

Unpaid overtime has become a regular feature of Australian workplaces, with new research showing senior employees give up substantially more personal time than those further down the corporate ladder.

Among Australian workers, 38 per cent report six or more unpaid hours a week, including 12per cent who work at least 16, according to ADP Research’s latest People at Work 2026 report, released Tuesday, which surveyed more than 39,000 workers across 36 markets.

That puts Australia roughly in line with the global average: 62 per cent of workers put in up to five unpaid hours a week, 26 per cent work six to 15, and 12 per cent clock 16 or more.

The extra hours don’t necessarily pay off for employers, as workers globally who log longer unpaid hours are more likely to experience stress, feel less productive, and look for a new job.

According to ADP, there’s no single reason employees work unpaid hours, though workload pressures, staffing constraints, skills gaps, and workplace expectations contribute to the problem.

Who is working for free?

More than half of Australian C-suite executives (54 per cent) and upper managers (51 per cent) work at least six unpaid hours a week, compared with 26 per cent of individual contributors. 

Almost one in four C-suite executives (23 per cent) work 16 or more unpaid hours a week, compared with 8 per cent of individual contributors, according to the report.

Kylie Baullo, ADP General Manager, ANZ and Japan, told The Money Edition that senior staff often manage teams, make strategic decisions and respond to business demands, which “may lead to employees working beyond their usual hours.”

But the findings “should not be interpreted as evidence that working longer unpaid hours is necessary for career advancement,” she said.

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For young professionals, Baullo said, it is important “to distinguish between taking initiative and feeling compelled to work beyond their agreed hours to demonstrate commitment.”

Leaders also have a role in “setting healthy norms so that working beyond scheduled hours does not become an unspoken expectation across their teams,” she said.

Knowledge workers are the most likely to work off the clock, with 49 per cent reporting six or more unpaid hours every week.

Baullo said knowledge-based roles in fields such as finance, human resources and consulting are “less easily confined to fixed working hours,” making it harder to separate work from personal time.

As artificial intelligence changes how work gets done, she said, leaders “need to dedicate time to communicating changes” and helping employees adapt.

For those entering the workforce, “being committed to their career should not mean being constantly available,” she said.

What does unpaid work cost employers

Among C-suite executives worldwide, 24 per cent of those working 16 or more unpaid hours said they were not as productive as they could be, against 11 per cent of those working five hours or less, while the share actively looking for a new job more than doubled, from 12 per cent to 26 per cent.

“If early-career employees come to believe they must give up personal time to prove their value, employers risk undermining wellbeing, productivity and trust,” Baullo said.

That creates “a potential retention challenge,” she noted, especially when extra hours become an ongoing expectation rather than an occasional necessity.

“Unpaid hours can be a signal to look more closely at how work is distributed and supported,” she said, noting employers should work out whether they stem from short-term demands or ongoing pressures.

“Ultimately, sustainable performance comes from enabling people to work effectively, develop their capabilities and deliver meaningful outcomes, not from expecting them to work longer hours,” she added, urging employers to regularly review workloads and ensure managers model healthy working practices.