GUERNSEY’S business community is working longer hours to remain competitive in the face of zero-10 and population controls. IoD chairman Shelagh Mason said new work-lifestyle solutions were needed to make the push for productivity manageable.
A report by the Trade Union Congress has found that more than one in eight people in the UK now work more than 48 hours a week, rising to one in six in London. This suggests a reversal in the 10-year trend which had seen a 20% fall in the number of hours people worked.
‘There is increasing pressure to meet the demands of a successful business community,’ said Mrs Mason. ‘We have attracted much business over the years and this has to be serviced effectively from a restricted pool of workers. We need to ensure our prosperity and look for solutions at the same time.
‘We also need to look very seriously at the population issues as we will be trying, with the advent of zero-10, to increase our productivity at a time when we are not allowed to increase our population.’
According to the TUC report, 3.2m. people in the UK work more than 48 hours a week - 13% of the workforce and up 12% from last year.
Guernsey Chamber of Commerce president Mark Trenchard said the island’s shorter commutes had a big impact.
‘I have been aware for some time that people in certain sectors are working significantly longer hours these days, but there is an argument for balance,’ he said. ‘The pace of life seems to be slightly slower here than in London, for example, and most people have just a 10-minute journey to work rather than two hours.’
White-collar workers might more commonly have the choice to work longer hours whereas it was more likely to be imposed upon those in hospitality or tourism, added Mr Trenchard.
According to the TUC report, the biggest rise in the number of people working a 48-hour week was in the south-east of England and London, with 16% of staff in the capital now working longer hours.
Official figures underestimate long hours because they are unlikely to include migrant workers or people who live where they work, said the report.
Mrs Mason said that although Guernsey commutes were shorter, the business community was extremely sophisticated and demanding. ‘I believe that generally we work fewer hours than those in the City,’ she said.
‘We are not alone in our problems. The City is also facing a lack of skilled labour to retain its worldwide position.
‘To say we are forced into longer hours may be true in the short term, but it does not have to be so going forward.
‘There are many issues to deal with - some of which are unique to Guernsey, such as population control - but others that are common across the globe.
‘We need to realise that our competition is worldwide, especially for financial services, and face up to the challenges of an aging population in the western world.’
Article posted on 12th December, 2007 - 12.00am
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