Workers in the South East put in an estimated £5.2 billion worth of unpaid overtime in 2024, according to new analysis published by the TUC for Work Your Proper Hours Day.

The annual event on February 28, now in its 21st year, encourages workers to take their full breaks and finish on time, while calling on employers to support staff with reasonable workloads and policies to prevent burnout.

In the South East, 15.9 percent of workers did unpaid overtime last year, averaging 6.9 extra hours per week. This equates to approximately £7,800 in unpaid wages per affected worker.

Across the UK, 3.8 million workers put in unpaid overtime in 2024, averaging 7.2 extra hours a week.

For these workers, this amounts to an average loss of £8,000 per year, with the total value of unpaid labour reaching £30.7 billion. Teaching staff and health and care managers were the most affected, with 38 percent and 35 percent respectively working extra hours without pay.

Women and men were similarly affected, with 13.2 percent of women and 13.1 percent of men working unpaid overtime, though men worked slightly longer hours on average.

The TUC says the high levels of unpaid overtime in teaching and health and care highlight the workforce pressures in public services. While the Government’s plan to recruit 6,500 additional teachers is a positive step, the union body stresses that more needs to be done to address workload pressures across the public sector.

TUC Regional Secretary Sam Gurney said: “Most workers don’t mind putting in extra hours from time to time, but they should be paid for it. Help is on the way for workers who are unfairly being forced to work unpaid hours. The Employment Rights Bill will make it easier for people to join a union and challenge unfair practices.”

On the high levels of unpaid overtime in teaching, health, and care, he added: “This analysis highlights the staffing crisis in our public services, caused by 14 years of government mismanagement. The new administration must engage with its workforce on issues like workloads to prevent staff from leaving schools and hospitals.”