Business consulting firm Venture Smarter analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the number of night shift workers in each industry to name the professions that will benefit the most from an additional hour’s pay with the clocks soon going back as daylight saving time ends.
According to the most recent findings from the BLS, around 3.6% of workers (5,195 employees) were reported as working regular night shifts and therefore will be impacted by daylight saving time ending.
The industry with the highest proportion of night shift workers is the transport and utilities sector, with 6.3% of its workforce (463 people) working this shift pattern. In second is the manufacturing industry with 5.7% of workers carrying out night shifts (923 employees), followed by the wholesale and retail trade industry in third with 5.1% (920 people).
Ranking fourth is education and health services, with night workers comprising 4.3% of employees (1,604). Education and health services were reported as having the highest total of night workers with 1,604 — equivalent to 4.3%.
Rounding up the top five is the public administration sector. With 4.2% of employees (317 workers) on night shifts, it’s the last industry analyzed to have a higher proportion of night shift workers than the national average (5,195 workers, 3.6%).
At the bottom of the ranking, and the sector standing to benefit the least from an additional hour at work, is the information sector. Of the workers in the sample, only 0.3% worked night shifts, totaling at just eight people and providing a negligible difference to the sector’s output.
