Nearly one in five Canadians do unpaid work in their free time, StatCan finds
A Statistics Canada survey finds 17% of workers do unpaid, unscheduled work in their free time. The report highlights who is affected, workplace support, physical risks and schedule flexibility.
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By Torontoer Staff
A Statistics Canada survey of working conditions conducted in 2024 and 2025 found 17 per cent of respondents perform unpaid, unscheduled work in their free time several times a month. The report aims to shed light on job quality, exposure to risks at work and how schedules and support vary across occupations.
Those most likely to do unpaid work outside paid hours are in management and professional roles, which typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher. The same groups also reported tighter deadlines more frequently than workers with lower formal education.
Who is doing unpaid work and why it matters
Unpaid tasks done in free time included unscheduled work activities performed several times a month. The pattern was concentrated in professional and managerial occupations where responsibilities and deadlines often extend beyond set hours. For those employees, unpaid work adds to overall workload and may contribute to longer workdays and greater stress.
Support from colleagues and managers varies by sector
Most workers reported supportive colleagues and managers, but support was uneven across sectors. More than 80 per cent of construction workers said they had colleague support. Employees in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, and natural resources reported relatively high managerial support.
Health-care and social assistance workers reported the lowest managerial support. Transportation and warehousing workers were also less likely to receive frequent help from colleagues. The survey found employees from racialized groups were least likely to receive colleague support compared with non-racialized and non-Indigenous workers.
Physical risks and long hours
Ergonomic risks, such as repetitive hand or arm movements, were the most commonly reported physical hazard, affecting more than half of respondents. Jobs in natural resources, agriculture, trades, transport and equipment operation, manufacturing and utilities showed the highest ergonomic exposure.
Ambient physical risks, including extreme temperatures and loud noise, affected nearly 30 per cent of workers. Health-care workers stood out for exposure to biological and chemical risks, with about one in five reporting such exposures. The survey also found that people with a bachelor’s degree or higher were substantially less likely to face physical risks at work.
Long workdays remain common in many sectors. Two in five men reported working more than 10 hours a day at least once a month and they were more likely to work nights. In natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations, two thirds of workers usually worked over 10 hours a day at least once a month.
Schedule flexibility and job satisfaction
Most Canadians have employer-set schedules, but flexibility differs by industry. People in scientific and technical services reported the most flexible hours. The report said, "Employees in the professional, scientific and technical services industry were the most likely (58.3 per cent) to report being able to adapt their schedule or determine their own working hours," Statistics Canada noted.
Despite challenges, job meaning is high for many. More than four in five respondents felt they were doing useful work most of the time. "Workers in agriculture and construction were most likely to indicate that they had the feeling of doing useful work a majority of the time," the survey said, with health care and social assistance also above the national average.
Practical steps for workers
- Set clear boundaries, for example by limiting after-hours email to specific tasks or time blocks and communicating those limits to colleagues and supervisors.
- Document unpaid tasks and hours, so you can discuss workload and compensation during performance reviews or negotiations.
- Raise ergonomic concerns with employers and request assessments or adjustments, such as equipment changes or scheduled breaks for repetitive tasks.
- Seek peer support or join employee networks, particularly if you are in a sector where manager support is limited.
- Ask about flexible scheduling options, or propose pilot arrangements to demonstrate how flexibility can maintain productivity.
Employees in the professional, scientific and technical services industry were the most likely (58.3 per cent) to report being able to adapt their schedule or determine their own working hours.
Statistics Canada
The survey highlights persistent differences in workload, risk and support across occupations. For individuals, the findings point to concrete actions around boundaries, documentation and workplace conversations. For employers, they underline the need to address unpaid work and uneven support to protect employee well-being and maintain productivity.
workplacework-life balanceStatistics Canadahealth and safety
