• A UCL study of London’s 1.3 million night workers found high levels of low pay, precarious contracts and health problems, including difficulties managing conditions like diabetes.
  • Many night workers reported food insecurity on shift, long and complex commutes, and feeling unsafe travelling after dark.
  • Researchers call for fair wages, better transport, safe night worker hubs and targeted health support if UK employment reforms are to live up to their aims. 

The Data after Dark project, led by the UCL Social Data Institute and UCL Urban Laboratory, set out to understand what life is really like for night workers in London.

Night workers are defined as those who usually work between 6pm and 6am and include nurses, bus drivers, cleaners, security guards, hospitality staff and delivery riders.

The team combined mobile phone location data, surveys of workers and employers, interviews and detailed conversations with night workers across sectors.

They mapped where and when night work happens and gathered first hand accounts of working conditions.

Key findings

Night workers make up about a quarter of London’s workforce and 16 per cent of the United Kingdom’s night workforce.

More than 220,000 travel in from outside the capital.

Many are from ethnic minority backgrounds, born outside the United Kingdom, women or LGBTQ plus, which means night work overlaps with other forms of inequality.

In the survey, 29 per cent of night workers earned below the London Living Wage and 26 per cent had multiple jobs.

Many reported irregular hours, insecure contracts and limited legal protection. Only a small minority of employers were accredited to the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard.

Health concerns were widespread. Workers described high levels of stress, social isolation and difficulty managing conditions such as insomnia, migraines and diabetes.

Food access was poor, with many reporting limited or no access to healthy, affordable food during night shifts. Transport was another pressure.

Night journeys were often longer than daytime trips, involved multiple changes and were experienced as unsafe, especially by those with long commutes.

Why this matters for diabetes and wider health

Night work is known to disrupt circadian rhythms, sleep and metabolism and is linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

This study shows that for many workers the problem is not only disrupted body clocks but also low pay, food insecurity and patchy access to health support.

The authors recommend fairer wages and contracts, better transport provision at night, safe staffed rest spaces near major employment zones and specific health support, including healthy food on shift and mental health services.

They argue that the success of the proposed Employment Rights Bill will depend on whether it truly addresses the lived realities of night work.

For people with diabetes who work nights, the findings underline the importance of structured support to manage medication timing, meals and sleep, rather than placing all responsibility on individuals.