Deteriorating Work and Commuting Patterns in Beijing: a Time-diary Cluster Analysis from 2001 to 2021

The amount of time spent on employment and commuting is a crucial aspect of one's quality of life. The changing patterns of work and commuting in rapidly developing cities like Beijing provide insights into how people's lives evolve as cities develop. In our study, we combined data from the Beijing Time Use Survey from 2001 to 2021 on paid work and commuting schedules and conducted a sequence and cluster analysis to identify seven work-commuting schedules, of which three are non-standard work-commuting schedules. Over the years, we observed an increase in both paid work time and commute time. People have started and finished work much later, with one group emerging that returns to work after dinner and commutes at very late hours, indicating a shift in daily schedule to later hours. Younger individuals, males, and those with higher household incomes are more likely to work long or extremely long hours, while younger individuals or those who are single tend to spend longer time commuting. These findings suggest that long/late working-commuting schedules are becoming the norm in Beijing, implying a decline in the quality of urban life. Our study provides valuable insights into how people's lives are evolving as cities develop, highlighting the need for urban planners and policymakers to prioritize the creation of more accessible and sustainable urban areas that promote a healthier work-life balance.