Top 10 Countries With Longest Work Hours: Here’s Where India Stands
Top 10 Countries With Longest Work Hours: Here's Where India Stands( representative image)
Indian employees, on average, work 46.7 hours per week, with 51% of the workforce logging 49 or more hours weekly. This places India among the world’s most overworked nations, as revealed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The topic of long work hours has recently gained attention after Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan suggested employees should work up to 90 hours a week, including Sundays, to stay competitive. Similar views have been shared by other prominent business leaders, including Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy and Shaadi.com CEO Anupam Mittal. However, while such proposals spark debate, data shows India already ranks 13th globally for long work hours and is second in terms of prolonged working hours.
Top 10 Countries With the Longest Work Hours
- Bhutan: Employees work an average of 54.4 hours per week, making it the country with the longest work hours globally.
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): Workers put in 50.9 hours weekly.
- Lesotho: The average workweek is 50.4 hours.
- Congo: Employees clock 48.6 hours weekly.
- Qatar: The average workweek stands at 48 hours.
- Liberia: Workers spend 47.7 hours per week on average.
- Mauritania: Employees work 47.6 hours weekly.
- Lebanon: The average workweek is 47.6 hours.
- Mongolia: Workers clock in 47.3 hours weekly.
- Jordan: Employees work an average of 47 hours per week.
Meanwhile, nations like Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Micronesia report the shortest work hours. Vanuatu tops this list with an average workweek of just 24.7 hours, followed by Kiribati (27.3 hours) and Micronesia (30.4 hours), where employees enjoy a more relaxed work-life balance.
While debates around increasing work hours in India continue, the data highlights the need for a balanced approach to productivity and employee well-being.
