UK workers spend 21.8 million hours travelling to and from work every day, according to a TUC analysis of official statistics published on Monday 9th November.

The TUC research is published to coincide with the start of Work Wise UK's Commute Smart week (8-14 November) and finds that �266 million worth of working time is spent travelling to and from work every day.

Using the Labour Force Survey the TUC has calculated that workers spend on average 52.6 minutes commuting every day. Workers in London have the longest commute (78 minutes), followed by workers in the South East (56.4 minutes) and the East of England (56 minutes). Workers in Wales (41 minutes) and the South West (44.8 minutes) have the shortest journeys to work.

The TUC analysis finds that men working full-time spend 7.6 minutes longer commuting than women who work full-time. Men in the South East spend an extra 13.6 minutes commuting to work compared to women - the largest gap in the UK.

Workers in well paid jobs such as managers and senior officials (68.6 minutes) and professionals (61.4 minutes) have the longest commute times while those in low paid occupations such as cleaners and labourers (40.4 minutes) and retail and customer services (41.4 minutes) have the shortest commutes.

Employees working part-time have shorter average commute times than full-time workers. Men working full-time spend 60.4 minutes commuting compared to 42 minutes for men working part-time. Women working full-time spend 52.8 minutes travelling to work compared to 38.6 minutes for women working part-time.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "UK staff experience a double whammy of working some of the longest hours in Europe and then spending nearly an hour every day getting to and from work.

"All that wasted working time spent stuck on crowded trains and congested roads costs the economy over a quarter of a billion pounds every year, not to mention the stress it causes staff and the time it means they miss spending with friends and family.

"Gender, pay and the amount of hours worked all affect average commute times. It seems the more you earn, the longer you have to travel to earn it. Parents who can't do long commutes because of school or nursery runs often have to take lower paid work nearer home instead.

"With employers focused on getting through the recession, many will have taken their eye off the ball in offering flexible working. But remote working and flexible shifts can reduce commute times, save on office space and reduce energy costs - saving companies money and helping staff enjoy a better work life balance."

Work Wise UK Chief Executive Phil Flaxton said: "Commuting for long periods of time has become a part of the UK's working culture.

"The excessive time spent commuting is one of the main factors involved in the work-life balance issue.

"Not only is the amount of time commuting an issue, the 9 to 5 culture with its peak travel times generates congestion on the rail, underground and road networks and as a consequence, increases stress for commuters.

"The knock-on effect of reducing overall traffic congestion and public transport overcrowding by extending the rush hour and reducing peak demand through smarter  commuting will make the daily commute more bearable for those workers that have no choice when and how to travel."

The TUC has calculated the total cost of commuting time (�266 billion) by multiplying the total number of hours spent commuting (21.8 million) by the average hourly pay (�13.90, according to the Office for National Statistics).

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