Long Work Hours: Volunteers and Conscripts

35 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2007

See all articles by Robert W. Drago

Robert W. Drago

Pennsylvania State University - Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations

Mark Wooden

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

David Black

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research

Date Written: December 2006

Abstract

Panel data from Australia are used to study the prevalence of work hours mismatch among long hours workers and, more importantly, how that mismatch persists and changes over time, and what factors are associated with these changes. Particular attention is paid to the roles played by household debt, ideal worker characteristics and gender. Both static and dynamic multinomial logit models are estimated, with the dependent variable distinguishing long hours workers from other workers, and within the former, between "volunteers", who prefer long hours, and "conscripts", who do not. The results suggest that: (i) high levels of debt are mainly associated with conscript status; (ii) ideal worker types can be found among both volunteers and conscripts, but are much more likely to be conscripts; and (iii) women are relatively rare among long hours workers, and especially long hours volunteers, suggesting long hours jobs may be discriminatory. The research highlights the importance of distinguishing conscripts and volunteers to understand the prevalence and dynamics of long work hours.

Keywords: working hours, overwork, preferences, HILDA survey

JEL Classification: J22

Suggested Citation

Drago, Robert W. and Wooden, Mark and Black, David, Long Work Hours: Volunteers and Conscripts (December 2006). IZA Discussion Paper No. 2484, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=955273 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.955273

Robert W. Drago

Pennsylvania State University - Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations ( email )

University Park, PA 16802
United States
814-865-0751 (Phone)
814-863-3578 (Fax)

Mark Wooden (Contact Author)

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research ( email )

Level 5, FBE Building, 111 Barry Street
Parkville, Victoria 3010
Australia

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

David Black

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research ( email )

Level 5, FBE Building, 111 Barry Street
Parkville, Victoria 3010
Australia

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