Across the UK, the time taken for people to travel to work has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years. The average journey time has gone from just over 25 minutes, in 2005 to 28 in 2013. The worst increases have been seen in so-called ‘commuter towns’ surrounding London, and in the North-West.
There are lots of things that might have led to this. The most likely is simply that people are more willing to travel from rural or suburban areas into areas where there are more opportunities. Or people may prefer to live further from work if it’s more affordable, which will certainly be a big factor in London.
Alternatively, it might have nothing to do with distance. Perhaps our public transport is getting slower at peak times, and roads are getting busier which will have an impact on journey times.
Of course, many employers will prefer local candidates. This is especially true for entry-level positions as less of their pay will be spent on travel and they won’t be quickly pulled away by an opening closer to home. When presented with two similar jobs, the nearer job will almost always win out.
But what counts as too far for your commute? Do you have a maximum journey time, or does it all depend on how much you’d earn and how you’d be getting there? Would you leave your job, if a commute got longer by too much? Let us know on social media.
