UK workers are 'paying £91 billion a year to work'

In total British workers spend £91 billion annually or £3,405 each on work related costs.

Commuting is the most expensive part of being in employment, costing a full-time employee an average of £1,087 per year (Rex Features)

Full-time workers spend 16 per cent of their annual income on work related expenses, including childcare, commuting, clothes and computer equipment among others, new research has found.

In total British workers spend £91 billion annually or £3,405 each on costs related to their job, according to a new survey by Santander. A rise of nearly 6 per cent compared to £3,218 in 2014.

Santander, a financial services provider in the UK, has surveyed more than 2,000 workers to see how much they spend on all work related products.

Commuting is the most expensive part of being in employment, costing a full-time employee an average of £1,087 per year, a slight drop from 2014, the study found.

Employees using public transport to get to work have to pay an average of £1,357 a year. This compares to £1,238 for motorists, with £922 spent on fuel, £180 to park their car and £136 on tolls and congestion, up more than £50 since the previous year.

The average cost of childcare has risen from £943 to £960 a year. But one in four people pay more than four times the average or as much as £3,910 a year.

Food and drink costs climbed from £509 to £553 a year, the study finds.

Barry Naisbitt, Chief Economist at Santander UK said British workers are of huge value to the economy.

“With over 31 million people currently working in the UK, employees are of huge value to the economy. Not only is this from the output of the work they produce, but also due to the substantial additional contribution they make through work-related products and services, to the tune of £91 billion per year ,” he said.