London had the highest proportion of workers doing unpaid overtime, at 17%, compared to 13% nationally, while occupations with most unpaid overtime were teaching and health and care managers, which the TUC said highlighted staffing pressures in schools and hospitals.
The TUC said its study indicated that 3.8 million people worked unpaid overtime in 2024, putting in an average of 7.2 unpaid hours a week, equivalent to an average to £8,000 a year of lost wages.
Workers put in £31 billion worth of unpaid overtime last year, with teachers and health and care managers working the longest hours for free, research suggests.
The TUC said government plans to recruit 6,500 additional teachers will help to improve levels of work intensity, more engagement was needed on workforce issues across the public sector.
Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, said: “It’s concerning that people are working so many additional hours, especially without pay.
