Statistics on hours worked are monitored because the number of hours worked has an impact on workers' well-being and is a measure of labour input that can be used to produce other economic indicators such as labour productivity. MRSD publishes three statistical measures of hours worked, which are consistent with the concepts and definitions recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

• Paid hours worked: Refers to the hours for which employees receive payment from their employers. It includes paid hours that are not worked e.g. paid leave. Statistics on paid hours are used as a gauge of the level of economic activities and working conditions of the various industries.
• Usual hours worked: Refers to the hours that an employed person typically works in any given week, regardless of whether they are paid for. As usual hours cover one's typical weekly work schedule, they can be used to examine quality of work.
• Actual hours worked: Refers to the actual hours that an employed person spent on work activities, regardless of whether the hours are regular in nature or whether they are paid for. Actual hours reflect the amount of labour input, and the statistics are used to compute labour productivity.​​​