At the time of recovery, even soft, the overtime hours are back. In the first quarter, the average number of overtime hours per company increased by 9.6 hours compared to early 2009, according to figures released Friday by DARES.
Mid-sized companies of 250 to 499 employees this figure shot up, with an explosion of 25.4% in the number of overtime. Companies 50-99 workers have also boomed by 10.1%. In contrast, the number of overtime is down 2.6% for large companies (more than 500 employees) and 0.7% in small (10-19 employees).
"The transportation and warehousing sectors and construction are those that contribute most to the increase," notes the Dares. Instead, real estate, energy and finance and insurance showed decreases in the number of overtime.