High-Earning Men Cut Their Work Hours

"American workers have cut the number of hours they spend in their jobs since 2019, but no group has dialed back its time on the clock more than young, high-earning men whose jobs typically demand long hours.

The top-earning 10% of men in the U.S. labor market logged 77 fewer work hours in 2022, on average, than those in the same earnings group in 2019, according to a new study of federal data by the economics department at Washington University in St. Louis. That translates to 1.5 hours less time on the job each workweek, or a 3% reduction in hours. Over the same three-year period, the top-earning 10% of women cut back time at work by 29 hours, which translates to about half an hour less work each week, or a 1% reduction.

High-earning men in the 25-to-39 range who could be described as "workaholics" were pulling back, often by choice, says Yongseok Shin, a professor of economics, who co-wrote the paper. Since this group already put in much longer hours than the typical U.S. worker, these high earners had longer work days to trim, Dr. Shin says, and still worked more hours than the average.

The drop in working hours among high-earning men and women helps explain why the U.S. job market is even tighter than what would be expected given the current levels of unemployment and labor-force participation, Dr. Shin says.

"These are the people who have that bargaining power," Dr. Shin says of the leverage many workers have had over their employers in a tight job market. "They have the privilege to decide how many hours they want to work without worrying too much about their economic livelihood."

The paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which isn't yet peer reviewed, suggests high earners were more likely to benefit from flexible working arrangements, which could be a factor in reduced work hours.

Prior to the pandemic, Eli Albrecht, a lawyer in the Washington, D.C., area, says he worked between 80 to 90 hours a week. Now, he says he puts in 60 to 70 hours each week. That's still more than most men in America, who averaged 40.5 hours a week in 20221, according to federal data.

Mr. Albrecht's schedule changed when he shared Zoom school duties for two of his young children with his wife. He's maintained the reduced hours because it's making his relationship more equitable, he says, and gives him family time.

"I used to feel -- and a lot of dads used to feel -- that just by providing for the family financially, that was sufficient. And it's just not," he says.

The downshift documented by Dr. Shin and his colleagues occurred as many professionals have been reassessing their ambitions and the value of working long hours. Emboldened by a strong job market, millions of Americans quit their jobs in search of better hours and more flexibility.

Overall, U.S. employees worked 18 fewer hours a year, on average, in 2022 compared with 2019, with employed men putting in 28 fewer hours last year and employed women cutting their time by nine hours, data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey show. The average male worker put in 2,006 hours last year, while the average female worker logged 1,758 hours.

Separate data from the Census Bureau suggests that men with families, in particular, are working less.

Between 2019 and 2021, married men devoted roughly 13 fewer minutes, on average, to work each day, according to the American Time Use Survey. They spent more time on socializing and relaxing, as well as household activities, according to men surveyed by the Census Bureau.

As high-earning workers in the U.S. cut back, low-wage workers increased their hours, according to Dr. Shin's research. The bottom-earning 10% of working men logged 41 hours more in 2022, on average, than in 2019. Women in the lowest earning group boosted their hours worked by 52 last year compared with 2019." [1]

1. High-Earning Men Cut Their Work Hours
Vinopal, Courtney.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 26 Jan 2023: A.12.