Unpaid overtime increases throughout the UK

The number of employees working unpaid overtime increased by 103,000 in 2007, bringing the total to nearly five million, according to a new analysis of official statistics published by the TUC.

Employees who work unpaid overtime would receive an extra £4,955 a year if they were paid for the extra hours they are putting in. The average amount of unpaid overtime is seven hours and six minutes a week.

About one in five of the working population work unpaid overtime. The TUC has calculated that if everyone in the UK who works unpaid overtime did all their unpaid work at the start of the year, the first day they would get paid would be Friday 22 February.

The biggest increases in the number of employees working unpaid overtime have occurred in Yorkshire and Humberside (38,000), the Eastern Region (37,000) and London (32,000). The numbers fell sharply in the East Midlands (-57,000) and the North West (-41,000).

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: “After years of progress, Britain’s long hours culture is enjoying a renaissance and today’s figures suggest many people are not even being paid for putting in these extra hours. People are giving away nearly £5,000 a year in unpaid overtime – that’s too much time and money that could be better spent with friends and family.”