Work Life Balance. This paper examines whether there has been a significant trend towards longer working hours in Australia, and whether working long hours is unreasonable. While average hours worked per week have remained relatively stable since the early 1980s, the incidence of both long and short workweeks has increased. Overall, the conclusion is that working long hours is on many criteria, far from unreasonable. Mark Wooden and Joanne Loundes argue that such cases are best dealt with on a case by case basis and not through the imposition of across-the-board limits on hours, which may make far more people worse off than it makes better off. "How Unreasonable Are Long Working Hours?" is published by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

By Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, Australia.

Business Policy Resource.