July 2024 | Hourly Work Index 🕓
Australia
The "Hourly Work Index" by Deputy provides a detailed analysis of the state of hourly work across various industries in Australia. Deputy's unique data on timesheets, hours worked, average shift lengths, and other relevant metrics provides real-time insights into the jobs market, the economy, industry challenges, business confidence and trends impacting demographics within the hourly / shift worker community.
Healthcare 🧑⚕️
Avg Shifts worked | MoM Shifts Worked | Avg Hours worked | MoM Hours Worked | Average Shift Length |
🔼 14.61 | 🔼 9.13% | 🔼 113.22 | 🔼 11.31% | 🔼 7.01 |
New Hires | Employee Turnover | Predictable Scheduling | Average Shiftpay | Average Hourly Pay |
🔼 4.67% | 🔼 1.74% | 🔽20.01 | 🔼 $241.73 | 🔼 $37.23 |
There were notable increases in hours worked across several healthcare sectors: 4.97% rise in care facilities, 9.98% increase in childcare and community centres, 15.18% increase in dental practices, and a 14.75% rise in hours worked by doctors and medical clinics.However, these increased hours came with increased volatility in shift allocations, with a 35.94% increase in shift changes in animal health, 20.01% in care facilities, 35.03% in childcare centres, and 40.37% in doctor’s offices and medical clinics.
Hospitality 🧑🍳
Avg Shifts worked | MoM Shifts Worked | Avg Hours worked | MoM Hours Worked | Average Shift Length |
🔽 35.43 | 🔼 2.25% | 🔽250.83 | 🔼 3.15% | 🔼 6.81 |
New Hires | Employee Turnover | Predictable Scheduling | Average Shiftpay | Average Hourly Pay |
🔼 2.83% | 🔼 4.29% | 🔽10.89 | 🔼 $193.99 | 🔼 $32.28 |
The accommodation sector saw a significant 14.38% rise in hours worked, while bars and cafes experienced slight increases of 1.58% and 2.97%, respectively, compared to the previous month. The upticks in hours worked could suggest that more people are going out and engaging in social activities compared to the month before - reflecting an improving demand for hospitality services as consumer confidence and social activities rebound.
Retail 🧑💻
Avg Shifts worked | MoM Shifts Worked | Avg Hours worked | MoM Hours Worked | Average Shift Length |
🔼 16.37 | 🔼 8.68% | 🔼 119.35 | 🔼 8.84% | 🔼 6.91 |
New Hires | Employee Turnover | Predictable Scheduling | Average Shiftpay | Average Hourly Pay |
4.12% 🔽 | 🔼 29.41% | 🔽15.1 | 🔽$191.06 | 🔽$30.75 |
The overall drop in new hires in the retail industry was driven by a 2.96% decrease in new employees in clothing and personal care, reflecting reduced consumer spending on non-essentials. Additionally, gyms saw a 55.84% drop in new hires, home, hardware, and garden stores saw a 26.98% decrease, and pharmacies experienced a 27.98% decline.However, automotive, electronics and appliance stores saw a 12.73% increase in new hires, and food and beverage stores reported a 9.86% rise, indicating that consumers are prioritising essential goods over discretionary items.
Services 🧑🔧
Avg Shifts worked | MoM Shifts Worked | Avg Hours worked | MoM Hours Worked | Average Shift Length |
🔼 20.15 | 🔼 6.39% | 🔼 147.39 | 🔼 7.13% | 🔼 6.89 |
New Hires | Employee Turnover | Predictable Scheduling | Average Shiftpay | Average Hourly Pay |
🔼 16.11% | 🔼 14.76% | 🔽14.25 | 🔽$211.13 | 🔽$35.19 |
The services industry faced increased shift volatility, with the number of shifts being changed increasing by 15.31% in call centres and 40.55% across the catering industry. This shift instability coincides with a decline in new hires, as call centres saw a 27.78% drop in new employees and catering experienced a 10.85% decline.
Sector Spotlight 💡
In July, every parent industry (Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Services) experienced an increase in average shift length, month-on-month shifts worked, and total hours worked. However, this growth was accompanied by a rise in employee turnover and a decline in predictable scheduling across all major industries. Existing workers likely had to take on more hours and shifts in response to staffing shortages, exacerbating workforce challenges. While most industries experienced an increase in new hires, the retail sector saw a decrease. This trend aligns with the recent surge in retail insolvencies, contributing to the sector's reduced hiring activity.
Economic Impact 🇦🇺
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Generational Insights 🕓
Baby Boomers
Across all major shift work industries, average hourly pay for Baby Boomers dropped 0.76% compared to the month of June — moving from $35.29 per hour to $35.02 per hour. The number of new employees across all major shift work industries dropped by 16.36% when compared with the month of June.
Generation X
Across all major shift work industries, the average number of timesheet hours worked by Generation X increased by 8.91% MoM. However, similar to Baby Boomers, average hourly pay across all major industries dropped by 0.57% — from $36.39 to $36.18 MoM.
Millennials
For the month of July, average hourly pay across all four major shift work industries also trended down for Millennials. Average remuneration lowered 0.18% compared with June — from $36.23 to $36.17 for each shift worked. The average number of new employees entering all major shift work industries was also down 6.63% MoM.
Generation Z
For Gen Z shift workers, the average number of hours worked increased by 5.17% when compared to June. However, average hourly pay decreased across all major industries, though not as drastically as older generations. For Gen Z workers, average hourly pay dropped 0.10% MoM — $31.43 to $31.40.
💬 Commentary
The July Hourly Work Index highlights the resilience of Australia's hourly workforce but also highlights significant challenges. The increase in average hours and shifts worked across all major industries suggests a positive shift in economic activity. However, the accompanying rise in employee turnover and the decline in predictable scheduling are concerning trends that underscore the ongoing volatility in the job market, where workers are being asked to do more with less stability.
What’s particularly concerning is how these trends are impacting different generations. For Baby Boomers and Generation X, who often juggle work with family responsibilities, the decrease in average hourly pay alongside longer hours adds significant strain, especially when it comes to affording essential support like childcare. Millennials, while building their careers, face similar pressures as they strive for financial stability in an uncertain economy. Generation Z, at the start of their careers and earning the least, are struggling to cover basic expenses like rent and groceries as their pay decreases.
This generational disparity highlights the critical need for businesses to offer more stability and predictability to their workforce. By ensuring workers have adequate notice of their schedules and a regular cadence of work, businesses can support employee well-being, enhance productivity, and improve retention in these challenging times.
About Deputy
Deputy is the global people platform for hourly work. Its intuitive software strengthens employer-employee connections, streamlines compliance obligations, and revolutionises how hourly workers and businesses operate together, creating thriving workplaces. Over 330,000 workplaces use Deputy to create better work-life experiences for 1.4 million scheduled workers globally. Visit Deputy, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, the App Store, or Google Play for more information.
The Data
The “Hourly Work Index” is produced by Deputy the global people platform for hourly work, utilising anonymised and aggregated Deputy customer and user data. This data has been normalised to account for seasonality and demand of workforce fluctuations throughout the week (e.g. weekday vs. weekends). The shifts and hours worked of 15.38 million hourly workers and scheduling activities of 6 million workplaces in Australia were analysed to create this report.
