A new report from the Canadian Index of Well-Being (CIW) Network includes some statistics that chronicle shifts in the ways Canadians are struggling to meet the competing demands of the workplace, their families and their own personal needs. The report, entitled Caught in a Time Crunch: Time Use, Leisure and Culture in Canada, was published on June 15, 2010.

Some highlights:

• Fewer Canadians are working long hours, but more are working non-standard hours.

• The proportion of Canadians working more than 50 hours a week declined from 14.9% in 1996 to 11.0% in 2009.

• Men (15.8%) were almost three times as likely as women (5.7%) to work long hours in 2009.

• In 2009 29% of Canadians worked non-standard hours (weekends, evenings, nights, rotating shifts) compared to 23% in 1992.

• The proportion of Canadians experiencing high levels of 'time crunch' grew from 16.4% in 1992 to 19.6% in 2005.

• In 2005 22.7 % of women and 16.6% of males reported experiencing time pressure.

• The proportion of working-age adults providing care to seniors has increased modestly from 19.5% in 1996 to 17.4% in 2006.

• A higher proportion of females (22.5%) than males (16.3%) provided care to seniors and for more hours per week in 2006.

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing, launched 2009, was designed to develop ways of broadening the approach to measuring societal wellbeing. The index includes quality of life indicators related to the health, social, cultural and environmental realities of Canadians. The Index is administered by the CIW Network, an independent, non-partisan group, which operates under the leadership of an advisory board of accomplished Canadians and international experts. The CIW has a newly forming affiliation with the University of Waterloo. To find out more and download the report click here.