Those with jobs are working slightly more and have less leisure time

While the overall figures run counter to the notion that Americans have less free time, those with jobs are working slightly more. On weekdays, Americans with full-time jobs spent 8 hours and 8 minutes a day working or traveling to work, five minutes more than a decade earlier.

Dr. Sayer, a sociology professor, said the survey’s underlying figures show a widening split. Those without jobs and those with less education are spending more time sleeping and watching television, offsetting increased time on the job for many better-educated workers.

Those with jobs dedicate 8 hours and 52 minutes to sleep and personal time on weekdays, a figure that increased by seven minutes from a year earlier. But they still sleep much less than those without jobs, who spent more than 10 hours per weekday sleeping or on personal care. “Not employed” people includes those who are looking for work and who are retired or otherwise choose not to work.

The jobless spend three hours more each day than working adults watching television or other leisure activities. That group, however, dedicates more than an hour a day to education, versus almost nothing for those with a job, and twice as much time on household activities.