Aussies perform 31 billion hours of work without getting paid, study reveals

Australians are performing tens of billions of hours of unpaid work every year, including cooking, cleaning, shopping, and caring for children, new studies have revealed.

All up, Australians perform 31 billion hours of unpaid work of this nature every year, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Gianni La Cava, an economist at the e61 Institute, which analysed the data, said this was 1.3 times more than the hours worked across all paid industries combined in 2024.

“[It is] nine times the hours worked in health care and social assistance, Australia’s largest measured industry,” he said in a report released in August.

La Cava’s analysis found women are doing 30.45 hours on unpaid work a week, while men are doing 21.87 hours per week; the hours worked for women have decreased, with women working 36.38 hours per week in 2006.

However, women still do more domestic duties and shopping during the week, clocking up 20.59 hours per week, compared to 15.67 for men.

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A separate study conducted by Mandala, commissioned by DoorDash, found 25 per cent of unpaid labor was spent on meal preparation and cooking, 21 per cent was spent on housework, and 20 per cent was spent on childcare.

Its research found the average Australian did 26 hours of unpaid labour per week, based on 2025 data.

La Cava found the amount of time both men and women used caring for children during the week had risen between 2006 and 2024, by about 1.8 hours per week for men, and 0.6 hours per week for women.

He said it was difficult to put an exact figure on the true economic impact of this unpaid work, but he admitted it was significant.

“The unpaid labour industry is massive,” he said.

“Depending on the wage used, estimates range from roughly $1.1 trillion to $1.6 trillion, or about 40 to 58 per cent of GDP.”

Mandala’s study estimated unpaid labour was worth $1 trillion per year, or 37 per cent of GDP.

“[This is] adding to household pressure and reduced wellbeing,” the report said.

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“42 per cent of Australians report balancing work and family as the primary cause of feeling time-pressed.

“Heavy unpaid labour burdens are also linked to poorer mental and physical health outcomes, as well as reduced workforce participation and lifetime earnings.”

Mandala’s research found unpaid labour had decreased slightly in the last 30 years, but an increase in working hours means Australians have less free time.

“A third of Australians (33 per cent) report always or often being pressed for time,” Mandala’s study said, “with a further 37 per cent sometimes reporting time pressure”.