Ethnic minority workers almost twice as likely to do night shifts as white counterparts, new research finds

November 6, 2024

Black and ethnic minority workers are more likely to be doing night shifts than their white colleagues, new research has suggested.
The analysis, published by the Trades Union Congress, found the number of black and ethnic minority workers regularly doing night shifts has increased, while the number of white workers doing nights has fallen.
More than 360,000 additional black and ethnic minority staff are working through the night compared to 2014.
Meanwhile, the number of white workers regularly doing night shifts has fallen by more than 570,000 in the same timeframe.
It means one in six black and ethnic minority workers are doing regular night work, compared to one in 11 white workers, the TUC said.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said that for railway employees, working night shifts affects the long-term health of workers and is putting intense pressure on family relationships.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Too many night workers are on insecure contracts that can often lead to exploitation, excessive fatigue and a breakdown of personal relationships.
“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.”
A new Employment Rights Bill from the government is aimed at bringing more protection for night workers – including banning zero-hours contracts and providing compensation for cancelled shifts.
Sian Moore, professor of work and employment at Anglia Ruskin University, who helped with the research, said: “Scientific research shows that night work has significant impacts on workers’ physical and mental health.
“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.
“Women worked nights to enable them to take and collect children to and from school and in order to avoid childcare costs. There were reports of parents swapping children in car parks between their shifts.”
Fatigue from back-to-back night shifts leaves many workers unable to recover properly before their next shifts, with recovery time going unpaid and into personal time.