Skills Survey 2003: UK techies work hard but can afford to play hard

The UK's high-tech workers are still working far harder than the 'average' 35-hour week - with a significant proportion going over the maximum suggested by EU law.

A meagre 5.1 per cent of the respondents to this year's silicon.com Skills Survey work fewer than 35 hours a week.

More than 34 per cent put in 35 to 40 hours; 28.4 per cent 40 to 45; 16.3 per cent spend between 45 and 50 hours at work; while a remarkable 16.1 per cent devote more than 50 hours a week to their jobs - at least two more than the 48 laid down by European law.

These figures are broadly in line with the results of last year's survey, showing that staff are not working any harder these days, despite the continuing tough economic conditions.

IT staff are on the whole amply rewarded for the long hours they put in, however.

While just over a fifth of the respondents to our survey said they earned below £25,000 per year (EUR37,500), 35 per cent are in the £25,001-£40,000 range and 20.7 per cent take home between £40,001 and £55,000 every year.

There are also a significant number of people being handsomely recompensed for their time. Nearly 11 per cent of our survey sample earn between £55,001 and £70,000 a year; 8.5 per cent £70,001 to £110,000; while a small but wealthy minority - 3.4 per cent - are paid over £110,000.

These figures are also very similar to those produced by last year's survey.

silicon's sister sites in France (zdnet.fr) and Germany (zdnet.de) also conducted this survey, with their results throwing up some interesting comparisons. UK techies may feel over-worked, but it may be of some consolation to learn that the Germans put in even longer hours: over 40 per cent said they spend over 45 hours per week at their desks. In the UK it's just over 32 per cent.

The French - perhaps unsurprisingly - achieve a better work/life balance than UK and German IT staff. Under 30 per cent of respondents there go over the 45 hour mark.

But before all our UK readers start applying for jobs in France, think of the money: over half of French techies earn under £25,000, while only 19.1 per cent earn over £40,001. The £40k plus figure for the UK is more than double that, at 43.4 per cent.

We will be bringing you more results from the survey over the coming days, as well as announcing the winners of our champagne. Once again, we want to thank all of you - and there were almost 4,000 of you again in the UK alone this year - who took part in this poll, one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. Please send any feedback to our findings to editorial@silicon.com.