AI fails to reduce workloads as unpaid overtime becomes further entrenched: study   

Thursday 17 September 2026
Unions NSW.
AI has failed to reduce workloads for more than three-quarters of Australian workers, including one in eight whose unpaid overtime has increased since the technology was introduced, a major Unions NSW report has found.

The new report examines the prevalence of unpaid overtime in Australian workplaces, focusing on the impacts of AI. The national survey of more than 6,600 workers from multiple industries found 63 per cent had seen no change in unpaid overtime following the introduction of AI, while 13 per cent were now working more overtime without pay. One in five workers said employers expect higher output as a direct result of AI integration.

“Tech companies hype AI as a way to reduce workloads, but the evidence shows that any productivity gains are being absorbed into higher performance expectations, tighter deadlines, and expanding job scope,” incoming Unions NSW Secretary Thomas Costa said.

“Rather than easing the burden on workers, employers are increasingly using AI  to extract more from their workers,  faster, longer and often unpaid.”

This has contributed to unpaid overtime becoming entrenched as a new normal for Australian workers, with 88 per cent regularly working beyond their paid hours. Workers are giving away an average of 7.8 hours of unpaid labour every week, equivalent to more than 11 weeks of unpaid work each year and almost $22,000 in lost wages.
Working for free is no longer an occasional request but is becoming an expectation, the report found. More than three in four workers believe their workplace relies on them doing unpaid overtime, while 78 per cent fear their career or employment would be negatively affected if they refused to work unpaid hours.

“No employer would willingly give away their product for free, but workers are increasingly expected to give away their time – to the tune of nearly $22,000 a year,” Costa said.   

“During a cost-of-living crisis, with families struggling to put food on the table and petrol in the tank, this is not acceptable. Australia should not become a place where working for free is the price of keeping your job.”

The impact of unpaid overtime is being felt far beyond the workplace, and is affecting workers’ health, families, communities and the services they provide. More than eight in 10 workers say unpaid overtime is negatively affecting their life outside work, while a similar share report impacts on their physical or mental health.

“Workers should be paid for every hour they work and protected from the health impacts of excessive work.

“Governments must act to ban unpaid overtime, with employers  ensuring workers are compensated for the hours they work, and strengthen protections that safeguard workers’ time, health and wellbeing.”

Key findings:   

88% of respondents reported working unpaid overtime each week, an increase of 2 percentage points from the 2024 survey.
Respondents reported working an average of 7.8 hours of unpaid overtime per week, equivalent to approximately 11.6 weeks of unpaid labour each year (based on a 52-week year).
The financial value of unpaid overtime is approximately $21,893 per year for a worker earning the average annual salary of $106,660.
3 in 4 respondents (75%) reported working unpaid overtime on weekends, an increase of 5 percentage points from the 2024 survey.
More than 8 in 10 (82%) respondents believe unpaid overtime is having a negative impact on their life outside of work, up from 77% in the 2024 survey.
83% of respondents reported that unpaid overtime is negatively affecting their physical or mental health.
77% of respondents believed their workplace is reliant on them doing unpaid overtime, an increase of 9 percentage points from the 2024 survey.
More than 3 in 4 respondents (78%) believed their career or employment would be negatively impacted if they didn’t work unpaid overtime, an increase of 14 percentage points from the 2024 survey.
63% of respondents reported that their workplace does not have a formal overtime policy.
More than a quarter of workers (26%) believe their job could be replaced by AI within the next five years, and concerns are significantly higher among younger workers, rising to 67% for workers under 18 and 47% for those aged 18–24.

Dnarever wrote Yesterday at 12:39pm:



We all did -
sometimes I worked 18 hour days and got paid for 8 hours.

I reckon most of us did, at least for good employers. When I was working at Sydney airport we were often let go 15 - 20 minutes early if nothing was happening. In return, when needed to stay back most of us did not claim overtime for the first half hour.
This worked well until a new and keen supervisor arrived who said this arrangement was to stop. It was pointed out that if this was enforced the overtime bill would increase markedly and many people may well refuse to work overtime. Things soon went back to normal.

Jasin wrote Yesterday at 2:42pm:



JaSin is like the Fonz:

Jasin wrote Yesterday at 2:57pm:



heyyyyyyyyyy