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We hate it, too. That cruel, late autumn irony gets us every time: Yes, the holidays are right around the corner, but oh, look at that, it’s suddenly pitch black just as you are finishing up your afternoon coffee.
But as any glass-half-full kinda person will tell you, daylight saving has something to do with old-timey energy efficiency and candles, and blah blah blah. Too bad that when DST ends, seasonal depression starts.
Yet that old inkling in the back of our minds—that time change has something to do with work and saving money on energy—now has some modern day justifications.
Business management company Venture Smarter examined Bureau of Labor Statistics data to determine which industries are most likely to see a financial boost from changing the clocks.
The firm looked at the number of night shift workers across industries. For people in these jobs, the study found, turning the clocks back means extending their shift the night when daylight saving time ends, and getting paid for that extra hour
Some industries benefit more than others. At the top? Transport and utilities, where 6.3% of employees work the night shift.
Runners-up were manufacturing, in which 5.7% of workers followed a late night shift pattern, and the wholesale and retail trade industry, 5.1% of whose employees worked late. Another top contender was education and health services, with 4.3% of its workforce working nights.
At the bottom: professional and business services and the information sector, in which 1.1% and 0.3% of employees worked night shifts.
“Daylight saving time ending can have both positive and negative effects on night shift workers, but the main appeal is an additional hour’s pay—at least for the workers who are reimbursed by their employers correctly,” a Venture Smarter spokesperson said.
They continued: “Employers will also be able to see some increased profit margins, which will be particularly advantageous as we head into the hectic winter months and spend more money in preparation for the holiday season.”