Key Small Business Statistics - July 2005

Do the self-employed work longer hours than employees?

The evidence is strong that the self-employed work longer hours than employees; this has been the case since at least 1987. The self-employed worked 41.8 hours per week in 2004 compared with 35.5 hours for employees, on average. Even more striking is the large difference in those who usually worked over 50 hours per week in 2004: 36% of self-employed persons worked over 50 hours compared with only 5% of employees (Figure 9). Clearly, the self-employed usually work longer hours than employees.

Figure 9: Percentage Distribution of Usual Weekly Hours of Employees and Self-employed, 1987 and 2004

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, March 2005.

When it comes to working part-time (less than 30 hours per week), the self-employed are very similar to employees; 21% of the self-employed and 18% of employees worked part-time in 2004.

These differences between the self-employed and employees persisted over the 1987–2004 period, although there has been some abatement of the tendency of the self-employed to work over 50 hours per week since 1999. As well, there has been a small rise in the proportion of those working part-time, both among the self-employed and among employees.

As shown in Figure 10, there are also major differences between men and women in usual weekly hours worked: men are more likely to work long hours, while women are more likely to work part-time. On average, self-employed men worked 45.6 hours per week in 2004, compared with only 34.3 hours for self-employed women. Furthermore, 43% of self-employed men worked over 50 hours in 2004, compared with only 22% of self-employed women. The same pattern applies among employees, although at much lower levels: 7% of male employees worked over 50 hours in 2004 compared with only 2% of female employees.

Figure 10: Percentage Distribution of Usual Weekly Hours Worked, by Class of Worker and Sex, 2004

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, March 2005.

Females are more likely to work part-time, whether they are self-employed or are employees. Among the self-employed, 37% of women worked part-time (less than 30 hours) in 2004, compared with 12% of men. Among employees, 26% of women worked part-time in 2004, compared with 11% of men.