New estimates of hours of work and real income in Canada from the 1880s to 1930:Long-run trends and workers' preferences

The first set of hours of work estimates constructed for Canada and its regions for the 1880-1930 period is presented in this article. These estimates suggest a trend decline in hours of work, especially following First World War. In addition, these estimates suggest that the decline in hours of work came at no or little cost in terms of real weekly income. The trends uncovered for Canada are found to be similar to those revealed for the U.S. In effect, by the early twentieth century workers were realizing their long expressed preferences for a shorter workweek at no loss in real income.