Analysis recently published by the TUC shows that the number of people who work night shifts has increased by five per cent since 2013 and now accounts for one in nine employees.

Although male night workers still outnumber women (1,891,000 compared to 1,247,000), the growing employment in health and social care explains why women accounted for two-thirds of the increase, with 101,000 more women working at night compared to five years ago.

The two most common professions for female night workers are care work and nursing, which together account for 561,000 women employees working at night. The number of men working at night has been boosted by an extra 259,000 road transport drivers and 17,000 social care assistants.

The number of night workers over 50 has risen by 114.5 per cent. Most night workers are aged between 30 and 49 but increased employment in social care and the trend towards working past 65 have spread the age profile of night working.

There are now 674,000 people aged 50-59 working at night (an increase of 94.8 per cent in the last five years), while the current total of 197,000 night workers aged 60 plus represents a 392.7 per cent increase on 2013.

Three industries (wholesale and retail, transport and distribution and health and social care) account for most of the increase in night working in the past five years. In terms of regions, the biggest increase was in the West Midlands followed by the East of England and the East Midlands. 

In order to better protect night workers, the TUC recommends that:

  • Government should tighten the rules on night working
  • Workers should be able to enforce their rights at tribunal
  • Where night working is introduced into a workplace, no existing workers should be forced to work nights
  • Shift patterns should be negotiated between unions and employers
  • Workers should have some element of control over their rotas, so that the shifts they work are best suited to their individual circumstances
  • Government should legislate to ensure that workers always have sufficient notice of their shift patterns
  • Pay for those working nights should properly reflect the likely additional costs of childcare and inconvenience that night shifts can entail.

 

Matthew Pull of Thompsons Solicitors commented: “The TUC are right to highlight that we all depend on Britain’s army of night-workers, from nurses to taxi-drivers.  It is only right that given the increased frequency of night shifts, the Government acts to adopt the TUC’s proposals, thereby ensuring such workers are properly protected.”

To read the analysis in more detail, go to the TUC website.