Australian Workers Face Unpaid Labor Crisis: Young Employees Hit Harder Than Ever

A recent report by the Australia Institute reveals that, on average, Australian employees performed 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week last year. The burden was even heavier for those aged 18 to 29, who clocked in an average of 7.4 hours of uncompensated labor.

Chinese migrant Wong, in her late 20s, had anticipated a balanced work-life culture before starting her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne. She had heard that Australian workplaces typically respected a nine-to-five schedule and avoided contacting employees during their personal time.

However, Wong quickly discovered that her reality was starkly different. Her boss frequently requested her to complete tasks after her official working hours. Wong described her experience of overwork in Australia as being "worse" than in China, which is notorious for its grueling "996" work culture—where employees often work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.