The long and the short of our working weeks

ONE in five workers in Geelong are working more than 40 hours a week, new economic modelling figures show.

And more than 12,000 workers, or about 12 per cent, are working 49 hours a week or more.

The figures compiled by Remplan Economy and released by the City of Greater Geelong also point to underemployment in the workforce, with almost 40 per cent of workers in the municipality working less than 35 hours a week.

It is estimated that in total Greater Geelong supports 100,666 jobs and has an annual economic output of more than $31 billion.

The health care and social assistance sector is the municipality’s greatest employer, generating 17,669 jobs and, based on the 2016 Census, pays 731 people (4.1 per cent) at least $3000 a week.

Manufacturing is the fifth-largest employer with 8085 jobs and the greatest generator of economic output. It has 359 people (4.4 per cent) earning more than $3000 a week.

Education and training employs 10,997 people but only 168 (1.5 per cent) are topping the $3000 a week mark.

Construction employs 9667 people but at the top end only 212 (1.9 per cent) are paid more than $3000 a week.

The big money men and women are better represented in the financial and insurance services sector which employs 2730 people, of which 146 (5.3 per cent) are earning more than $3000 a week.

Of the 100,666 Geelong workers, 19,453 have a bachelor degree, 3414 have a graduate diploma and graduate certificate and 4949, or almost 5 per cent of the workforce, have a postgraduate degree.

By comparison, 7.7 per cent of Victoria’s 2.73 million workers have a postgraduate degree.

Geelong has 21,322 employed people in the 25-34 year age bracket, but only 9922 in the 20-24 bracket and 6021 people in the 15-19 year bracket.