- Three quarters of Brits pursue after-work hobbies
- Photography is named the most popular hobby in the UK
- More than one-in-five earn over £151 a month from post-work interests
Winding down after work is a thing of the past, as new research from reed.co.uk has found three quarters of Brits (77 per cent) have a part-time hobby as well as a full-time job. It seems the UK’s strong working ethos doesn’t stop once people clock off for the day, as on average, talented Brits earn a collective £249 million a month from after-work interests.
Cameras, controllers and Mary Berry’s cupcakes
The research reveals we are a nation of “Professional Hobbyists” with photography snapping up the top spot as the most popular after-work vocation (12 per cent), closely followed by gaming with over one in 10 (11 per cent) turning their habit into a handy earner. Baking takes the third spot, with one in 10 Brits (10 per cent) spending their spare time creating cupcakes to rival those of Mary Berry.
Professional Hobbyists take home over £50 a month on average, with one in five (21 per cent) bagging themselves a minimum of £151 a month – adding up to over £1,800 a year.
Crafting 9-to-5
A hobby is a commitment that’s not taken lightly with one in six (16 per cent) investing over 10 hours a week to their craft. Almost a third of people (29 per cent) spend time on a hobby to lift their mood, whilst over a quarter (27 per cent) happily give up their evenings to pursue an interests that they are passionate about.
The study found that having a hobby can also have a positive impact on an individual’s day job. One in three Brits (29 per cent) say having interests outside of work act as a positive distraction after a busy day and helps them to remain calm and relaxed in the workplace. Whilst one in five (22 per cent) find having a hobby makes them more interesting to colleagues and gives them talking points at the watercooler. An additional one in six Brits (17 per cent) believes the skills developed through part-time passions have supported their day job.
Our survey says…
So, accoring to our latest research, the nations post-work passtimes are:
Top five most popular hobbies:
- Photography (12 per cent)
- Gaming (11 per cent)
- Baking (10 per cent)
- Drawing / Painting (8 per cent)
- Creative writing (6 per cent)
Lynn Cahillane, Communications Manager at reed.co.uk, said: It’s great to see how driven UK workers are today. Putting your spare time to good use is a fantastic way to build on your existing skill set as well as maintain your appeal to employers. The passion you display for your professional hobby could give you the edge over other candidates to land you your next job.
Commenting on her part-time pastime, Hayleigh Dalton of Handmade by Hayleigh; said: “During the day I work in fashion buying and in the evenings I run a card business, where I hand craft individual cards using stamps. I find making them a great way to wind down after work, even though I have had a huge amount of Christmas orders recently so I’ve been kept pretty busy. I’ve found making the most of my evenings has helped me move away from that living for the weekend mentality and improve my mood both in work and out.”
