Women and under-25s working more

THE average working week for women and young people has increased by an hour over the past decade, a new study suggests.

Women now work an average of 27.5 hours a week, 65 minutes longer than in 2009, while 18 to 24-year-olds work an average of 29.7 hours, up by an hour, said the Resolution Foundation.

The research also indicated that the longest hours are now worked by the highest earners and most qualified, reversing previous trends when the lowestpaid and least qualified put in the longest hours.

Women’s working weeks peak when they are in their mid-20s, while for men it is the mid-30s, said the think-tank.

The longest hours are worked in London, explained by its younger, higher-educated workforce, said the foundation.

Resolution Foundation policy analyst George Bangham said: “The length of the average paid working week has halved over the past 150 years, as people have traded in rising prosperity for more leisure time.

“In recent decades rising female employment and the linked growth in male part-time work have meant that households are sharing paid work more evenly, further driving down the average working week for individuals.

“But falls in the average working week have stalled since the crisis, and working time has been rising for women.

“Solving the UK’s productivity crisis is far more interesting to economists than it is to your average household.

“But returning to rising productivity would boost workers’ pay packets and potentially reduce the length of their working week, which matters a lot to everyone.”