Marvin OnumonuUK staff contributed £31bn in unpaid overtime last year, according to the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) analysis for ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day.’
The research found that 3.8 million people worked unpaid overtime in 2024, averaging 7.2 extra hours weekly.
This was equivalent to approximately £8,000 annually in lost wages per worker.
London had the highest rate of unpaid overtime, with 17% of workers compared to 13% nationally.
Teaching professionals and health and care managers were the most affected, with 38% and 35% of workers in those fields doing unpaid overtime, respectively.
13.2% of women and 13.1% of men worked unpaid overtime, with women working 6.8 hours and men working 7.5 hours a week on average.
The TUC highlighted staffing pressures in schools and hospitals as contributing factors.
The Government’s recruitment plan for 6,500 more teachers aims to reduce workload intensity, but further dialogue is needed across the public sector.
Paul Nowak, general secretary at the TUC, said: “Most workers don’t mind putting in extra hours from time to time, but they should be paid for it.
“This analysis shows once again the staffing pressures in our public services that have been driven by 14 years of Tory mismanagement.
“It is really important the new Government engages with its workforce on issues like workloads to stop staff leaving our schools and hospitals.”
Nowak added: “We are encouraging every worker to take their lunchbreak and finish on time today. And we know that good employers will support them doing that.
“My message to workers who are unfairly being forced to put in unpaid hours is that help is on the way.
“The Employment Rights Bill will make it easier for people to come together in a union and challenge unfair practices.”
