A new study, Working Time Around the World: Trends in working hours, laws and policies in a global comparative perspective, by the International Labour Office says that about 22% of the global workforce, or 614.2 million workers, are working 'excessively' long hours.
According to the study, among developing countries, Peru topped the list at 50.9% of workers, the Republic of Korea at 49.5%, Thailand at 46.7%, and Pakistan at 44.4%. In developed countries, the United Kingdom stood at 25.7%, Israel at 25.5%, Australia at 20.4%, Switzerland at 19.2%, and the United States at 18.1%.
Shorter hours, the report says, can have positive consequences, like benefits to workers' health and family lives, reduced accidents at the workplace, as well as greater productivity and equality between the sexes.
Tell us what you think about this. Are you overworked? How many hours do you work in a week? Do you have enough time for leisure?
Is there a need to cut down on the working hours without compromising on productivity? How could it be done?