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There is a new
and growing nocturnal work force lurking in the neon glow. Today, Americans are working
jobs at nights that were traditionally worked during the regular work day hours of
9 to 5. And in an age of fast economic change, you could be next.
White-Collar
Work Increasingly Done at Night
The graveyard or the third-shift hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., once predominantly worked
by factory workers, bakers, security guards, and other blue-collar workers, is now
also filling its ranks with energy brokers, computer programmers, and financial advisors.
Between 1991
and 1997, there was an 11 percent increase in the number of white-collar employees
working evenings or nights, compared to a 6 percent increase among blue-collar workers
on those hours, according to 1997 figures gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You could blame
it on old Thomas Edison and the light bulb. But most of the growth in night shift
work is rooted in the growing global economy. As more businesses and workforces operate
and compete in multiple time-zones across countries' borders, the 24-hour work day
is taking its hold almost everywhere.
Yet even with
these growing numbers, white-collar work is still only a small portion of the nocturnal
work force:
- Of the over
27 million workers who are in managerial and professional work, only 1.3 percent
work the night shift and only 1.7 percent work the evening shift (U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics).
- Of the over
25 million technical, sales, and administrative support workers, 2.1 percent work
the night shift and 3.5 percent work the evening shift (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Blue-Collar
Workers on the Late Shifts
The prevalence of night and evening shift work is greatest among those in service
occupations and those who are operators, fabricators, and laborers:
- Of the over
11 million service workers (which include those in protective services, food service,
and cleaning services), 6.5 percent work the night shift and 10.8 percent work the
evening shift (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
- Of the over
14 million operators, fabricators, and laborers, 7.4 percent work the night shift
and 7.7 percent work the evening shift (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Who Works
the Night Shift and Why?
If you work the
night or evening shifts, you are not alone. Three million Americans work graveyards
and another four million work evening shifts (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
And while many
workers are feeling stretched in the fast changing 24 hour, 7 days a week world,
others are choosing to work nights:
- Read
about Dorothy,
a grocery shopper for an Internet grocery company, who works nights so she can raise
her children during the day.
- Read
about Teresa,
a computer chip bonder, who takes on-site classes and sees her job on the night shift
as a stepping stone to other positions within the company.
- Read
about Ramona,
a dairy farmer, who works nights at a packaging plant in order to earn extra income
and have some time off the farm.
- Read
about Robert,
a night systems administrator at an Internet company, who is taking advantage of
the high-tech boom.
- Read
about Carol,
an early morning news anchor, who works to move up in her career but isn't sure how
much longer she can work the night shift.
- Read
about Amy,
a night emergency room nurse, who wouldn't work days, even if paid more.
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