Soaring rents and high house prices may be to blame for the number of employees in the south east and London with commutes of more than two hours rising, the national trade union centre (TUC) believes.

Last year 623,311 workers in the south east spent more than two hours travelling to work – an increase of 167,566 (36.8 per cent) since 2010, TUC analysis shows.

The only region where the number of workers with longer commutes was rising faster was in Northern Ireland (57.0 per cent).

In London, 136,539 (17.2 per cent) more people were commuting more than two hours than there were five years previously.

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Men still account for the majority (61 per cent) of those who make work journeys of two hours or more. However, women (an increase of 35 per cent) have experienced a sharper rise in long commuting since 2010 than men (up 29 per cent).

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Long commutes in sectors like education (up 46 per cent) and health and social care (up 26 per cent) – in which high numbers of women work – may explain this rise, the TUC believe.

Health and social workers (376,000), public administration and defence workers (320,000) and retail and wholesale workers (315,000) are the biggest groups commuting for two hours or more.

The TUC believe the increase in travelling times may be explained by “stagnant wages combined with soaring rents and high house prices” and a “lack of investment in roads and railways”. The UK is bottom of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) league table on transport infrastructure spending.

TUC Regional Secretary for South East Megan Dobney said: “None of us like spending ages getting to and from work. Long commutes eat into our family time and can be bad for our working lives too.

“Employers cannot turn a blind eye to this problem. More home and flexible-working would allow people to cut their commutes and save money.

“But if we are to reduce the pain of traffic jams and train delays, ministers need to invest more in public transport and our roads. Next week’s Autumn Statement is the perfect opportunity to do this.”

Work Wise UK Chief Executive Phil Flaxton said: “Long commutes have become a part of the UK’s working culture. The excessive time spent commuting is one of the main factors contributing to work-life balance problems.

“Not only is the amount of time commuting an issue, the nine to five culture with its peak travel times generates congestion on railways, underground and road networks and as a consequence, increases stress for commuters.

“Clearly the government, public transport providers and employers must do more in order to address the major negative impact on the UK’s economy and lost productivity.”

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