Airtasker says founders lose AUD $92 billion on admin

Airtasker has published research estimating that Australian small businesses lose more than AUD $92 billion a year on work founders could delegate. The study calls the issue the "Founder Tax".

It estimates the typical small business owner loses AUD $33,989 a year by spending time on tasks such as office management, administration and bookkeeping that do not need to be done personally. Airtasker has also launched an interactive calculator to show business owners how much time and value they may be giving up.

The figures suggest a broad drag on small business productivity in Australia, where owners often divide their time between growth work and routine operations. The analysis calculates the cost by estimating the value of a founder's hour to the business and multiplying it by the hours spent on work that could be delegated.

Industry split

The burden varies sharply by sector. Founders in trades, construction and property face the highest annual Founder Tax at AUD $53,261. They spend 15.5 hours a week on delegatable work, but their hourly time value is higher.

Retail and eCommerce founders were estimated to lose AUD $48,764 a year on 23.5 hours of delegatable work each week. In professional services, the annual figure was AUD $45,506 based on 20 hours a week. Founders in creative, media and education lost 15.3 hours a week, equivalent to AUD $23,594 a year.

The data suggests the problem is not just how many hours founders spend on lower-value work, but how valuable their time becomes as a business grows. That means even fewer lost hours can translate into a larger financial hit in sectors where the founder's contribution carries greater commercial value.

Growth effect

The research found the problem intensifies as companies add staff. Sole traders lose 13.5 hours a week to lower-value tasks, worth about AUD $25,362 a year. Microbusinesses with one to four employees lose 23 hours a week, equivalent to AUD $49,903 annually.

For small business owners with five to 19 staff, weekly time lost rises to 28.3 hours. The annual cost climbs much faster, reaching a level AUD $162,315 higher than for sole traders, because each hour of the founder's time is valued far more once the business reaches that scale.

That finding challenges the assumption that expansion naturally reduces pressure on founders by spreading work across a larger team. Instead, the analysis indicates delegation gaps can become more expensive as a business matures and the founder remains tied to day-to-day operations.

Why founders hold back

Cost remains a major barrier to outsourcing, with 54.7% of founders saying they cannot afford it. Yet the survey points to a wider set of reasons for doing the work themselves.

Almost two-thirds, or 65%, said handling the task personally was faster. More than half, or 50.4%, cited at least one reason unrelated to time or money, suggesting habits, trust or control may also shape decision-making.

As a result, 44.5% said they had never outsourced anything. Another 42.5% said they did not expect their outsourcing habits to change over the next 12 months.

The same research suggests some of the loss can be recovered. It estimates that outsourcing at typical market rates could buy back AUD $2,784 a year for the average founder. Among those who have outsourced, 43.3% said it gave them more headspace for higher-value work, while 24.8% said it directly helped them grow or scale the business.

Nakie example

One business cited in the research was Nakie, which used external labour during periods of heavy demand rather than maintaining a larger warehouse workforce year-round. Operational bottlenecks emerged as sales climbed rapidly, particularly around packing orders and unloading containers.

"We went from managing orders through family and friends to $3.5 million in revenue in November, and the bottleneck was never marketing - it was order packing and logistics. Posting jobs for packing orders and container unloading let us scale rapidly during peak periods without the need for full-time hires. Without the ability to outsource that labour, we'd have been forced to cap our sales and lose around $2 million in revenue to shipping delays and poor customer experience."

According to the account provided, Nakie now runs a permanent warehouse and conveyor system for core operations but still uses outside help during demand spikes that exceed permanent staffing levels.

The research adds to a wider debate over how small businesses use scarce founder time, particularly in an economy where labour costs remain elevated and owners face pressure to preserve margins while still investing in growth. By putting a dollar figure on routine work done by founders, the study frames delegation not just as a management choice but as a measurable cost to output and expansion.