Men are working much less than they used to. Women are picking up the slack.
Younger men have been working fewer and fewer hours per week over the last 20 years, a trend that has only accelerated post-pandemic,
On average, men are working 3.3 hours a week less in 2022 than they were in 1998, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This means the average man now works 35.3 hours a week. Every age group has seen their average working week fall, except for men aged over 65, the data shows.
The steepest fall in hours worked was among men aged between 35 and 49.
An ONS spokesperson noted that men are increasingly working part-time, which reduces weekly hours.
“An ageing population has also reduced average hours worked over this period as older workers tend to work fewer hours per week,” they commented.
In comparison, average weekly hours for women have trended upwards from 26.5 in 1998 to 27.9 in 2022, a total increase of 1.4 hours per week. Only women aged between 16-24 were working fewer hours a week in 2022 than in 1998.
This means that across the labour force as a whole, the average worker is working 1.3 hours a week less than in 1998, clocking in at 31.8 hours.
Unsurprisingly, both men and women recorded a steep fall in hours worked during the pandemic.
However, women are now working 0.5 hours a week more than pre-pandemic while men are still working 0.9 hours a week less. The proportion of female workers working full-time also increased over this period which the ONS suggested was “an indication of greater flexibility in working arrangements”.
The ONS noted that although the long-term fall in hours worked has not hit growth that much, there has been a “more significant impact” on GDP since the pandemic.
This means that growth could be supported by a “continuing recovery in average hours to pre-pandemic levels,” the ONS said. In other words, men need to get back to work.