A Demographic Profile of U.S. Workers Around the Clock

Rogelio Saenz, Texas A&M University

The nature of work continues to change dramatically; the extension of work operations around the clock is one of the most striking alterations. Approximately two of every five workers in the United States work mostly during nonstandard times—evenings, nights, rotating shifts, or weekends. This paper uses data from the 2006 American Community Survey to assess how the demographic profile of U.S. workers shifts based on when they began their workday. The results show that whites and those with greater socioeconomic resources are more likely to have traditional work shifts (beginning their workday between 7 and 10 a.m.), while persons of color, immigrants and the poor tend to work during less traditional work times. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these patterns.