Londoners who work at night are more likely to be low paid or be in insecure jobs than those who work during the day this research finds.
What’s this?
London’s nighttime economy is an important part of its labour market. Nearly 1.4 million people mostly work in the evening or at night in London – one in four workers.
This new analysis from the Living Wage Foundation uses ONS data to explore the scale of night work in London, and the prevalence of low pay and job insecurity among those working at night. It also includes new polling of more than 2,000 nighttime workers in London.
Key findings
One in four workers in London work at night
- 26% of people who worked in London in 2024 usually worked in the evening or at night – around 1.4 million people.
- The highest number of people who work in the evening or night work in health and social work (180,000), followed by professional and technical activities (160,000) and transport and storage (120,000).
- 44% of those working in arts and entertainment work at night, and 57% of those working in accommodation and food services.
Night workers are more likely to be low paid, insecure work
- 17% of people who work at night in London are low paid (paid less than the real Living Wage) - compared to 12% of those who work in the day.
- 18% of people who work at night have an insecure job, compared to 9% of those who work only during the day.
The impact of working at night
- In a poll of 2,000+ people who work at night in London, 57% agreed that they often have to work on short notice, while 49% said that they have little say over when they do or do not work at night.
- 40% experienced shift cancellations in the past year, with most missing out on at least half their pay when shifts were cancelled.
- A substantial minority of people who work at night in London say that doing so has a negative impact on their life, from the quality of their sleep (44%) to their physical and mental health (31% and 27%, respectively).
- Workers paid less than the real Living Wage are more likely than other workers to report that working at night has a negative impact on many aspects of their lives.
- Many people who work at night lack certainty and control about when they will work.
