Perth emerges as one of the hardest working capital cities in Australia

Perth is the second hardest working capital city in the nation, a new analysis has revealed. Research by accounting software company Reckon, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, found that residents in greater Perth were rated as having some of the highest working hours in the nation. Only Darwin reported a higher score for the rate of normal hours worked. Greater Sydney was third, while Adelaide was ranked last. The research analysed seven weighted factors — employment rate, working hours, productivity, multiple job holders, potential workers, commute time and unpaid domestic work — giving each area a score out of 100 to reveal where in Australia works the hardest. Perth also achieved high scores for its employment rate and for the number of people holding multiple jobs. Analysis of regions within WA revealed an “impressive productivity score” across the State. WA’s outback region achieved the highest productivity score in the country. “This likely comes from the large mining industry in this area, giving it a gross regional product of over $600,000 per capita, the highest across Australia,” the report said. “Overall, compared to other states, WA ranks as the second hardest working state with only Northern Territory scoring higher.” The hardest working region in Australia was the North Sydney and Hornsby region in NSW which excelled on factors such as working hours, productivity and unpaid domestic work. “Data across Australia suggests a trend where overall hard work scores increase as the percentage of tertiary education in the region increases,” the report said. “Science and infrastructure workers tend to have the highest average overall score, followed closely by corporate and agriculture workers.” Reckon’s general manager of people and culture Jessica Morris said Australians were some of the hardest workers in the world. “And with the current economic climate, many are working harder than ever to make ends meet and maintain their lifestyles,” she said. “However, workers must remember to take breaks and maintain a good work-life balance to avoid burnout and protect their mental and physical well-being.”