Londoners work 100 hours more than the rest of the UK every year

REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

LONDON — Londoners work an average of 100 years longer than the rest of the UK, according to new research from the Office of National Statistics.

The figures show that the average working week in the capital — which includes part-time workers — is 33 hours, compared to 31 hours in the rest of the UK.

The national average is lower, however, than the average of countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As the chart below shows, the London figure (top green) is at its highest since the 2008 financial crisis:

ONS

Why?

London has the highest rate of full-time employment in the UK — 79% of the total workforce. Having a higher proportion of full-time workers and a lower proportion of part-time workers drives up the average length of the working week.

Londoners also commute for much longer than the national average, spending 75 minutes a day travelling to work.

Ronald McQuaid, professor of work and employment at the University of Stirling, told the BBC that means they have to work longer to make up for the cost of travel.

They also earn about £10 per hour more than the UK average, according to the CBI, making it “more worthwhile for Londoners to stay at work,” according to McQuaid.