A recent study has found the number of black and ethnic minority workers regularly doing night shifts has increased to 1 in 6 workers, while the number of white workers doing nights has fallen to 1 in 11. The analysis has shown a disparity in multiple industries which disadvantage black workers.
More specifically, the analysis shows that 360,000 more Black and brown staff are regularly working through the night compared to 2014 (a 71% increase). While, the number of their white counterparts doing the same has fallen by more than 570,000 (a 19% reduction).
The analysis was published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who exposed that other groups disproportionately occupying the night forces are young people (aged 16-24) and senior workers over the age of 55. Sectors where night workers are mostly prevalent include transport and storage, health and social work, and accommodation and food services.
Several workers and their unions have highlighted the long term consequences and physical, mental and social health implications of night work. National staff shortages have also resulted in increased pressures and workloads for night staff that is not always reflected in their compensation.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:
“We all owe Britain’s night workers a huge debt for keeping the country running while the rest of us are asleep.
They do vital work. But too many night workers are on insecure contracts that can often lead to exploitation, excessive fatigue and a breakdown of personal relationships.”
Sian Moore, Professor of Work and Employment at Anglia Ruskin University, stated:
“Our interviews with night workers show that they are sleep deprived and permanently fatigued, with insufficient time for recovery between shifts and recovery eating into workers’ own time.”
Speaking on the racial disparities in how night work shifts are distributed and/or accepted, Nowak added:
“it is no coincidence that the burden of nightwork now disproportionally falls on Black and ethnic minority workers. This is the result of persistent structural inequalities in our labour market”.