Over the past two decades, Londoners have moved away from very long working weeks. In 2004, 24.0% of employed Londoners usually worked more than 45 hours a week. By 2025/26, that had fallen to 16.5%. At the same time, the share working 31–45 hours rose from 54.0% to 62.6%.
The other groups changed much less. The share working 16–30 hours barely changed, from 14.9% to 15.2%, while the share working up to 15 hours fell from 7.1% to 5.7%.
Data and methodology: ONS Annual Population Survey estimates for employed people aged 16 and over in London, based on usual weekly hours in the main job including paid and unpaid overtime. The chart uses Jan–Dec observations for 2004–2025 and the latest Apr 2025–Mar 2026 observation. ONS reweighted the series from 2019, creating a discontinuity.
References
- Regional labour market: headline indicators for London. Office for National Statistics
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