Beijingers are averaging almost an hour's overtime every day, a new survey has revealed.

On any given working day, the average Beijinger spends an extra 53 minutes at work over-and-above their contracted hours.

According to the Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau, who organized the survey, the average overtime spent at work has gone up by 39 minutes in the past 20 years.

Most hardworking were 31-35 year-olds who work an extra 67 minutes each day.

Self-employed workers suffer the heaviest workload their daily overtime clocked-in at close to two hours.

Hot on their heels are researchers and scientists who spend an-hour-and-a-half extra in the lab every day.

Teachers and government staff also put in extra travail. Teachers' home-time is 59 minutes late, a minute behind civil servants who head home after 58 minutes extra in the office.

The survey also found that, on average, Beijingers spend an hour and five minutes commuting to and from work.

The figure, however, has raised some eyebrows among those who see it as too conservative.

"It should be double that because of the terrible traffic in Beijing," said Zhang Xin, an information technology company manager in eastern Beijing.

Living in the capital's northern Huilongguan Residential Community, Zhang gets up at 7 am to catch a shuttle bus to the light rail station.

After half an hour on the crowded train, he then catches another bus before finally arriving at work.

"It takes me an hour-and-a-half to get to the office," said Zhang.

"In the evening I often leave the office at 8 pm and sometimes as late midnight."

The survey found that the more Beijing residents earn, the less time they spend on cooking, washing and shopping.

The average time spent cooking during the week is 31 minutes a day. At the weekend, Beijingers spend one hour and four minutes in the kitchen on both Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty years ago, resident's spent 50 minutes cooking each week day and one hour and 19 minutes at the weekend.

Those on a monthly salary of more than 5,000 yuan (US$616), spend 44 minutes cooking at the weekend. Residents who earn 3,0005000 yuan (US$369616) each month spend 50 minutes in the kitchen on both Saturday and Sunday.

Low-income earners whose monthly pay ranges from 500 to 1,000 yuan (US$62-124), spend an-hour-and-a-half cooking each day over the weekend.

Those earning more than 5,000 yuan (US$616) each month spend 67 minutes cleaning and washing clothes.

Those earning 500-1,000 yuan (US$62-124) per month spend an-hour-and-a-half cleaning and washing every day during the weekend.

The survey also found Beijing residents spend their weekends watching TV, reading, taking exercise and surfing the Internet.

The amount of time spent watching TV is up from an hour and 55 minutes, 20 years ago, to two hours 37 minutes every Saturday and Sunday.

On average, Beijingers spend two hours on the Internet over the weekend.

(China Daily November 16, 2005)