Why are fewer Americans working the night shift?

March 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Speakers & Context

The Format: Host-led discussion with expert interview and listener stories.
The Key Players:
- Hosts: Waylon Wong (NPR Planet Money Indicator host) and Angel Correras (producer/co-host), focusing on Jobs Friday labor market breakdowns with a human-interest lens.
- Expert: Dan Hammermesh, Meredith Professor of Economics at University of Texas; credible via decades of labor market research, including time-use studies and co-author of the key paper on night shifts.
- Workers: John Cloyd (night-shift welder, natural gas) and Summer Crawford (hospital transporter), providing real-world anecdotes.
The Vibe: Light-hearted yet analytical; conversational NPR style blending data dives with personal stories.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Jobs Friday Update**
2 (01:08) **Decline of Night Shifts**
3 (03:18) **Economist Dan Hammermesh's Research**
4 (06:26) **Workforce Changes Driving Decline**
5 (07:11) **Night Workers' Experiences**
6 (08:30) **Pay Premiums and Schedule Preferences**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

The night shift isn’t for everyone, but it often means a boost in pay and a foot in the door. Yet a smaller share of Americans are working the graveyard shift than in decades past. Today on the show, where did all the third shift workers go?

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Related episodes:
Why Americans don’t want to move for jobs anymore

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