Night working increases by 9% in five years

The number of people regularly working nights has shot up by 260,000 in the past five years – a 9% increase, according to new analysis from the TUC.

The TUC says there are nearly 3.2 million late night workers – around 12% of the UK workforce.

Some 1 in 6 (18%) black workers work nights – compared to 11% of white workers. The majority (62%) of night-workers are male, with women making up 38%. 1 in 11 women work nights, compared to 1 in 7 men.

The North West and Yorkshire have the highest rates of night-working, with 1 in 9 workers on night duty.

Previous research by the TUC revealed that night working is most common in industries such as security, logistics, manufacturing and healthcare work.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady called for greater rights for night workers. The report says:

• Employers and unions should ensure that night-working is only introduced where necessary, and that no existing workers should be forced to work nights;
• Shift patterns should be negotiated between unions and employers;
• Workers should have some control over their rotas, so that they can ensure that their shifts suit them;
• Workers should always have sufficient notice of their shift patterns so they can plan well in advance. Changes at short notice should be avoided;
• Working nights leads to extra costs and inconvenience for workers, especially around childcare. Nightwork wages should reflect this.

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