On average, Indians work longer than the mandated 48 hours per week

Stressed and feeling overworked? It could possibly be true. South Asians, and in particular Indians, work long hours, according to various reports and the average working hours are more than the mandated 48 hours per week.

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report for the period July 2023 to June 2024, those under regular wage or salaried employees worked an average 49.6 hours in a week.  It was even higher for men with regular wage or salary employment. While in terms of all India average, such men worked 51.4 hours per week, in rural areas, they worked for slightly longer hours at 51.6. In comparison, women in salary or wage employment worked 44.2 hours per week on an all India average.

Under the Factories Act, 1948, and Shops and Establishments Acts, the standard working hours for employees is 48 hours per week or nine hours per day. This includes a one hour lunch break. Working beyond this requires that an overtime of double the wage be paid to the employee.

According to a 2023 report by the International Labour Organization, South Asians work the longest number of hours per week compared to counterparts globally.

The report titled ‘Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World’ found that 51.5% of employees in Southern Asia work for 49 hours per week. In contrast, the average number of hours of work per week in paid work globally was approximately 43.9 hours. The shortest average hours of work per week were found in North America (37.9) and Europe and Central Asia (38.4), particularly in Northern, Southern and Western Europe (37.2), the report revealed.

As per the ILO database, Bhutan has the longest working hours at 54.4 per week with 61% of its population working more than 48 hours per week.

“Long hours of work can be defined as regularly working more than 48 hours per week,” said the report, adding that this definition is consistent with the relevant international labour standards, Convention No 1 and the Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No 30), which limit normal working hours to 48 per week.

“It is also consistent with the relevant literature on the negative effects of long hours of work on occupational safety and health, work–life balance, and productivity and performance,” it further highlighted.