Overworked techies desperate for more free time

Over half of IT workers are unhappy with the amount of spare time their jobs leave them.

And nearly three quarters of them also feel they can't do what they want with their leisure time, because they don't have enough money.

The survey, by office products and labels manufacturer Avery Dennison, found that 41 per cent of IT workers toil for more than 40 hours a week - and that if they had more time and money, 79 per cent would like to travel more.

Separate research published by the TUC shows top managers put in on average an extra 12 hours of unpaid work each week.

If they did all their unpaid overtime at the start of the year, managers would not get paid until March 24 - and if paid for their extra hours they would be £24,000 a year better off.

Senior IT staff put in less overtime than top managers - almost an extra day of unpaid work a week, according to the TUC research, which was published earlier this year.