It’s well known that workers in the construction industry often work long hours.

64% of construction workers surveyed work, on average, more than 50 hours per week.

Long working hours can pose significant challenges for safety and work-life balance. Some experts believe a five-day workweek is the solution. They’ve suggested mandating this as an industry-wide solution.

So, what challenges do long working hours create, and is mandating five days a week the solution?

What are the issues?

Among some parts of the industry, unhealthy working habits have developed. 39% worked more than five days a week, while 36% worked more than ten hours per day. Research suggests that this may be deterring some younger individuals from entering the industry.

Some say these long working hours make the construction industry unappealing to women. One-third of construction companies in New South Wales with fewer than 200 employees have no female employees. Therefore, more needs to be done to attract women to the construction industry.

Excessive working hours can also have negative impacts on workers’ mental health.

Would  a mandatory five-day workweek in construction help address this issue?

Among many in the construction industry, there is strong support for mandating a five-day working week. 84% of those on an annual salary supported the initiative. Among those on an hourly wage, support was slightly lower at 61%. However, many are willing to accept working long hours for the benefits they provide. For example, many considered the high salaries offered to be adequate compensation for the long hours worked. Few people were willing to take a pay cut in order to work fewer hours.

For those without family responsibilities, working on Saturdays can be an attractive proposition because of the extra money they can earn.

Indeed, 60% of the construction workers surveyed reported being happy with their work-life balance.
In addition, women may actually be further disadvantaged. For example, employers may require them to work even longer hours during the week to make up for the lost weekend. This could impact their family caring responsibilities.

Some studies suggest that people who work only five days are better rested. As a result, they perform more productively at work. For some workers, the motivation of not having to work on Saturday meant they were more productive during the week. Indeed, some workers felt that Saturday was never a very productive day of work anyway. Additionally, some workers felt that overall productivity actually increased when they shifted to a five-day workweek.

Industry figures wary of increased costs

Many are also concerned about the impact mandating a five-day working week would have on project delivery and costs. Mandating a five-day workweek in the construction industry would likely increase project completion times and costs.

Research shows project completion times could increase by 5% to 25%. Costs may rise by 0.4% to 4%. Currently, subcontractors under-price five-day jobs by around 20%. They offset this by spreading costs across six-day-a-week projects. If five days a week were mandated across the entire construction industry, this would no longer be possible. Research suggests that few employers or clients are willing to absorb the extra costs associated with a shorter working week.

In addition, the construction industry can little avoid further delays at a time when it is already under significant pressure. The Federal Government has committed to build 1.2 million new homes over the next five years. Experts say this ambitious target is unlikely to be met due to industry workforce shortages.

Transitioning to a five-day workweek may be beneficial for some workers. However, making the shift on a large-scale basis needs to be thought through to ensure there are no unintended consequences.

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Article References

Loosemore, M & Alkilani, S (18 November 2024) ‘Would a mandatory five-day working week solve construction’s work-life balance woes?‘, The Conversation, accessed 1 April 2025.

RMIT (6 May 2024) ‘Five-day work week builds work-life balance in construction: research‘, RMIT, accessed 1 April 2025.