通勤通常不受欢迎，也很少被认为是放松或高效的，但全球人均每天仍要花约一小时往返工作，而人们普遍希望把这部分时间大约减半。伦敦大学学院对2000多名学生和员工的调查显示，平均实际单程通勤为54分钟，理想通勤为31分钟，且理想时长因交通方式不同而异（例如乘火车者比骑自行车者可接受更长时长）。
研究表明，漫长通勤会增加人员流动并降低产出：纳什维尔公立学校的研究发现，单程通勤每增加5分钟，教师在本区内换校的概率就上升0.8到1个百分点；加拿大央行的研究也显示，企业搬迁导致发明人通勤距离每增加10公里，专利产出下降约5%。但也存在一定容忍度，许多受访者承认可接受的最长通勤超过当前水平，可能因为更低住房成本、更好的居住配套和更广的雇主选择。
尽管交通技术进步，全球约一小时的通勤均值却长期稳定，甚至有些工人在获得更短通勤后又搬到更远的地方。企业可通过补贴、停车、混合办公和弹性工时减轻负担，但更大的改善取决于公共交通和住房供给政策；丹麦2003—2013年全国样本数据显示，长期通勤且有子女的女性换工作概率比男性高出数倍，显示生命周期事件后通勤偏好变化对离职决策影响显著。
Commutes are generally disliked and rarely seen as relaxing or productive, yet people worldwide still spend about an hour a day traveling to and from work and mostly want that cut roughly in half. A University College London survey of over 2,000 students and staff found average actual one-way commuting time was 54 minutes while ideal time was 31 minutes, with preferred duration varying by mode (train users tolerate longer trips than cyclists).
Research links longer commutes to workforce instability and lower output: a Nashville study found that each additional 5 minutes of one-way travel raises a teacher’s chance of moving to another school by 0.8 to 1 percentage point, and a Bank of Canada study found every 10 km increase in travel distance after relocation cut inventors’ patenting by about 5%. Yet many respondents still accepted a maximum commute above their current one, likely because of offsets such as lower housing costs, better local amenities, and wider employer choice.
The global one-hour average has remained stable despite transportation advances, and some people even moved farther away after being offered shorter commutes. Firms can reduce burden with subsidies, parking, hybrid schedules, and flexible hours, but major improvements depend on public transport and housing policy; Denmark-wide data from 2003–2013 showed long-commute women with children were several times more likely to change jobs than men, suggesting strong sensitivity to commute preferences after major life changes.
Source: The pros and cons of commuting
Subtitle: Everyone moans about the length of their commute. Should managers care?
Dateline: 5月 07, 2026 06:28 上午