Cross-national comparison of the relationship between working hours and employment status and sleep duration and quality among Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

Ya Guo , University of Macau

This study explores the relationship between employment status, working hours, and sleep quality across Japan, the UK, Germany, and Australia, addressing significant variations in sleep duration observed across these countries. Notably, 56% of the Japanese population sleeps less than seven hours per day, compared to around 30% in the UK, Germany, and Australia. Meanwhile, working hours are generally higher in Japan and Australia. The study uses four representative panel datasets—Understanding Society (UK), the Japan/Keio Longitudinal Panel Survey (Japan), the German Socio-Economic Panel (Germany), and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)—and applies fixed and mixed effects models to examine sleep time and quality. The models account for employment status, working hours, and the interaction between employment security and working time, while controlling for socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. Results show consistent patterns across the countries, with longer working hours (48+ hours/week) linked to poorer sleep quality and fewer sleep hours, while shorter working hours (1-20 hours/week) have minimal or positive effects on sleep. The study finds that the type of employment contract (permanent vs. non-permanent) has little effect on sleep outcomes, with overwork having significant negative consequences for sleep, even for those with permanent contracts. The findings underscore the importance of working time in shaping sleep quality, highlighting the need for policies that consider the broader impact of overwork on sleep health across different labor markets.

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 Presented in Session 86. Health Behaviours and Lifestyke Determinants of Wellbeing