Daily commuting of workers is a complex phenomenon that has long attracted research attention and, despite the significant literature acknowledging differences between morning and evening commuting, commuting trips to and from work are considered symmetric in much of the prior research. We explore the asymmetries in time spent commuting to and from work, in seven countries, using detailed time use records from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS). We focus on the duration, mode of transport, and timing of commuting trips, and we provide evidence of the socio-demographic characteristics related to such asymmetries. We find that commutes to work (usually in the morning) last longer than commutes from work (usually in the afternoon or evening), although there are quantitative differences among countries. The timing of commuting also differs across countries, although commutes to work are more concentrated at certain hours in the morning than commutes from work. Our results may provide a better analysis of public policies, and open questions for future research, tackling the correlation between commuting behaviors and worker well-being, land use and city structure, and extreme commuting, among others.

工人的日常通勤是一个复杂的现象，长期以来一直引起研究的关注，尽管有大量文献承认早晚通勤之间存在差异，但在许多先前的研究中，上下班的通勤旅行被认为是对称的。我们使用多国时间使用研究 (MTUS) 中的详细时间使用记录，探讨了七个国家/地区上下班通勤时间的不对称情况。我们关注通勤旅行的持续时间、交通方式和时间，并提供与此类不对称相关的社会人口特征的证据。我们发现上班通勤（通常在早上）比下班通勤（通常在下午或晚上）持续的时间更长，尽管各国之间存在数量差异。通勤时间也因国家/地区而异，尽管上班通勤比上班通勤更集中在早上的某些时间。我们的结果可能会提供对公共政策的更好分析，并为未来的研究提供开放性问题，解决通勤行为与工人福祉、土地利用和城市结构以及极端通勤等之间的相关性。