Long-hours culture killing thousands

Long working hours are killing hundreds of thousands of people per year and the trend may have worsened during the pandemic, the United Nations has said.

The first global study of its kind has estimated that 745,000 people died in 2016 because of strokes and heart disease brought on by long hours. Researchers working with the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) and its International Labour Organisation, found there was a sharp increase in poor health for those working more than 55-hour weeks.

The chance of a stroke rose by 35 per cent and the chance of dying of heart disease rose 17 per cent, compared with a working week of 35 to 40 hours.

Economic turmoil caused by the pandemic could make the situation worse as it forces more people to work harder.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, said the pandemic had “significantly changed the way many people work”.

“Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours,” he said.

The long-hours culture came under the spotlight earlier this year when five Goldman Sachs junior bankers asked for their working life to be capped at 80 hours per week.

Research shows the highest burden of ill health is in the Western Pacific and south-east Asia regions.