Shocking! Indian Employees Work Longest Hours, Get Paid Least Globally With No Leisure Hours

Indians are among the most overworked workers in the world as compared to other countries. A report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has revealed the same.

Which are the other countries that are overworking their workers? Read on to find out!

India Stands Fifth Among Countries With Long Working Hours

The report, titled Global Wage Report 2020-21: Wages and Minimum Wages in the Time of COVID-19, states Indians are among the most overworked workers globally. Additionally, they are being paid the lowest minimum statutory wage in the Asia-Pacific region, barring Bangladesh.

India stands fifth in the world among the countries with long working hours, which are up to as much as 48 hours a week. The only other countries with longer average working hours than those in India are Gambia, Mongolia, Maldives, and Qatar.

As per the report, an average worker in China works 46 hours a week, 36 hours in the United Kingdom, 37 hours in the United States, and 36 hours in Israel. 

The minimum statutory wage of an Indian worker is the lowest in the world, with the exception of some sub-Saharan African countries. But the actual wages could be different from the minimum wages across countries, especially in the case of blue-collar workers

Both salaried and self-employed workers of India in urban areas work longer than those who work longer than those working in the rural parts of the country. Also, casual workers across the country work for almost the same number of hours.

Are Men Working Longer Than Women?

Men work longer than women in both rural and urban areas, as per the 2018-19 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

Self employed men work 48 hours and women work 37 hours in a week. Whereas, in the regular wage and salaried employees category, rural men work for 52 hours a week, and women work for 44 hours

In the case of casual labour, rural men work for 45 hours per week, and women work for 39 hours. 

This data has been drawn from the 2019 estimates that has been presented by most national agencies. Whereas, data for some countries pertains to previous years.