Global grind: Does India work harder than the world?

You can tell a lot about a country from how it views employees’ time. Countries with low birth rates have recognised the value of work-life balance and now offer more leave. Religious nations believe all work should stop to honour faith. And while paying women as much as men is still a dream, the gap is closing.

18

The number of earned leave days per year accorded to Indian employees under the Factories Act of 1948. It’s accrued as one day of earned leave for every 20 working days. This does not include weekends and public holidays, which vary by state.

53

The total number of annual days off in Iran, perhaps the highest in the world. Iranians get one month’s paid leave (including Fridays off), plus 26 religious holidays, which most employers offer as paid time off. Plus Labour Day on May 1.

28

The mandated leave days for workers in every member country of the European Union. Combined with paid public holidays, some workers in Europe can get as many as 38 days of paid leave a year.

30

Some countries have a cap on the numbers of paid leave days. No more than 30 a year are allowed in Brazil, Comoros, Djibouti, France, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kuwait, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Spain and Togo.

0

American employers are not legally required to give employees paid leave — an unusual practice among developed nations. The general practice, followed by about 77% of employers, is 10 days of paid vacation and another 8 paid public holidays a year.

Know your rights

5

India’s score on the 2020 International Trade Union Confederation Global Rights Index. The 1-5 scale measures the degree of respect for workers’ rights on 97 indicators. India’s brutal repression of strikes, mass dismissals and regressive laws puts it among the worst countries. Other countries that scored 5 include Bangladesh, The Philippines, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Egypt. The nations with the best score include Norway, Italy, Denmark and Germany.

Still at work?

53-54

The average number of hours Indians put in at work per week in cities, according to the National Sample Survey Organisation. Men work longer than the average: 60-84 hours (but work far fewer hours in the home). Even those in rural India work an average of 46 hours a week.

68

The number of hours in the average South Korean workweek, until 2018. Labour productivity was linked to birth rate declines since the 1990s, so the government attempted to right the work-life balance by revising the maximum weekly work hours to 52.

37.2

Denmark’s average workweek. Only 2.3% of employees work more than 50 hours a week in Denmark. The French put in close to 39 hours a week. Americans, 41.5. Colombians close to 50.

72

The revised work hours allowed per week by six Indian states – Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh – during the pandemic, to boost production.

A baby on the way

26

The number of weeks of paid maternity leave mandated in India, under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act of 2017, which raised it from 12 weeks. India offers some of the longest maternity leave in the world.

0

The number of weeks of mandated paternity leave in India’s private sector. State and central government employees are allowed 15 days of paternity leave.

85

The weeks of paid maternity leave available in Estonia, the highest in the world. Hungary offers 72 weeks.

0

There is no mandated maternity or paternity leave in the US. The employer decides. On average, women get five to six weeks.

Sources: International Trade Union Confederation Global Rights Index 2020; National Sample Survey Organisation; International Labor Organization; Center For Economic Policy and Research; US Bureau of Labor Statistics; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; World Economic Forum; UNICEF Family Friendly Policies Research 2019