There are 17,000 more night workers in Wales than there were in 2014, new TUC analysis published today (Saturday) shows.
There are now 165,000 people regularly working nights in Wales - 13% of the workforce.
There are now nearly one million (924,000) night workers aged over 50 in Britain – up from 751,000 five years ago.
And a significant number are aged over 60 (222,000) and 65 (69,000).
The TUC says key factors behind the rise are:
· older employees staying in work for longer
· more jobs being created in sectors like social care where older workers are more likely to be employed
The number of people regularly working night shifts is at its highest level since the Office for National Statistics began collecting records in their current form.
The analysis of official data shows that 3.25 million people (more than 1 in 9 workers) work in Britain’s night-time economy – 100,000 more than five years ago.
While the number of over 50s doing night work has accelerated in recent years, fewer young workers are doing night shifts.
In Britain care workers (432,000) account for the majority of night workers, followed by nurses and midwives (232,000).
The next most common profession for night workers is road transport drivers (208,000).
The number of employees working in social care has increased by 66,000 in the past 5 years. 63,000 of this increase was accounted for by workers aged over 50.
The South East of England has the most night workers in Britain (435,000) with London close behind (414,000).
But the North East of England (14.8%), Scotland (13.3%), Wales (13%) and Midlands (13%) have higher shares of their workforce regularly doing night work than the capital (11%).
As the clocks go back tonight to mark the beginning of winter, the TUC is urging greater protection for the millions of UK workers who regularly work through the night.
As well as being bad for family life, the health risks of regular night work include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression.
The TUC says these risks are heightened for older workers.
Commenting on the analysis, Wales TUC General Secretary Martin Mansfield said: “Britain’s loyal army of night workers has been boosted significantly by older workers.
“We all owe them a huge debt for keeping the country ticking over while we are asleep.
“Night work can be really hard – disrupting family life and placing a strain on people’s health.
“The government is not doing enough to protect these workers. They need better notice of their shifts and proper compensation if work is cancelled.”
ENDS
- Fairness and safety for night-workers: The TUC recommends that:
- All data comes from analysis of ONS labour force survey, second quarter
- The data series from ONS started in 2005
Night working employees by age (thousands) across Britain
Age |
2014 |
2019 |
Change 2014-19 |
per cent change |
16-49 |
2,409 |
2,333 |
-76 |
-3.2% |
50 and over |
751 |
924 |
+173 |
+23.0% |
60 and over |
179 |
227 |
+48 |
+26.8% |
65 and over |
46 |
69 |
+23 |
+50.0% |
All ages |
3,159 |
3,257 |
+98 |
+3.1% |
Occupations: Top 10 most common occupations for male night workers in Britain
Rank – 2019 |
Men |
Number (thousands) |
Rank 2019 |
Women |
Number (thousands) |
1 |
Protective services (police, fire and prison services) |
151 |
1 |
Care workers (care assistants, home care workers etc.) |
341 |
2 |
Road transport drivers (HGV, vans, buses, taxis) |
143 |
2 |
Nurses and midwives |
232 |
3 |
Security guards |
101 |
3 |
Service workers (porters, bar staff, waiting staff, catering assistants) |
91 |
4 |
Service workers (porters, bar staff, waiting staff, catering assistants) |
100 |
4 |
Protective services (police, fire and prison services) |
57 |
5 |
Care workers (care assistants, home care workers etc.) |
96 |
5 |
Health professionals |
51 |
6 |
Health professionals |
68 |
6 |
Sales assistants |
42 |
7 |
Warehouse workers |
66 |
7 |
Teachers |
36 |
8 |
Plant and machine operators |
52 |
8 |
Cleaners |
34 |
9 |
Engineering professionals |
52 |
9 |
Customer service assistants |
27 |
10 |
Process operatives (packers, bottlers, canners, fillers) |
51 |
10 |
Hospitality and leisure managers |
26 |
Breakdown by region and nation:
2014 thousands |
2019 thousands |
Per cent 2019 |
Change (thousands) |
|
North East |
176 |
154 |
14.8 |
-22 |
North West |
365 |
339 |
11.4 |
-34 |
Yorkshire +Humber |
280 |
268 |
12.3 |
-12 |
East Midlands |
235 |
263 |
13.0 |
+28 |
West Midlands |
246 |
308 |
13.0 |
+62 |
Eastern |
264 |
252 |
9.6 |
-12 |
London |
370 |
414 |
11.0 |
+44 |
South East |
420 |
435 |
11.2 |
+15 |
South West |
260 |
266 |
11.3 |
* |
Wales |
148 |
165 |
13.0 |
+17 |
Scotland |
311 |
312 |
13.3 |
* |
Northern Ireland |
84 |
80 |
10.9 |
* |
UK |
3,158 |
3,257 |
11.8 |
+99 |
* means that the change is so small as to be statistically insignificant
- The health and work life balance impacts of night-working: The negative health impacts of night work are already well documented and include heightened risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression. However, less attention has been given to the impacts on home life and relationships. The TUC wants the night economy to thrive but demands that employers must properly consider and address its impact on staff. Decisions to extend night working should always involve talks with unions.
- Diabetes and night working - a study on this “Night Shift Work, Genetic Risk, and Type 2 Diabetes in the UK Biobank” from early 2018 can be read here https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2018/01/31/dc17-1933
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) list age as a risk factor for heart disease: https://www.iosh.com/resources-and-research/our-resources/occupational-health-toolkit/heart-disease/
- TUC analysis from earlier this year showed that zero-hours workers are twice as likely to work night shifts: https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/zero-hour-workers-twice-likely-work-%E2%80%9Chealth-risk%E2%80%9D-night-shifts-%E2%80%93-tuc-analysis