Long Working Hours: Productive or Harmful?

What evidence says about very long working hours, from productivity studies to health risks, and why the debate over 70-hour weeks struck a nerve in India.

In 2023, a prominent Indian technology entrepreneur suggested young Indians should work 70 hours a week to help the country compete. A leading industrialist later spoke of even longer weeks. The comments sparked fierce debate about work, productivity and wellbeing.

How long do Indians work?

Data from the International Labour Organization show that India has among the longest average working hours in the world, with many workers regularly working more than 48 hours a week, especially in informal and self-employed work.

Does working longer raise output?

Evidence suggests diminishing returns:

Economist John Pencavel studied British munition workers during World War One. He found output rose with hours up to a point, but beyond about 50 hours a week, extra hours added little, and beyond about 55 hours, almost nothing.
Fatigue increases errors and accidents.
Countries with the highest productivity per hour, such as some in Western Europe, often have shorter working hours.

Health risks

A 2021 study by the World Health Organization and the ILO estimated that working 55 hours or more per week was linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths a year from stroke and heart disease worldwide. Long hours also raise risks of depression, anxiety and burnout.

Why people work long hours

Low wages: many workers need long hours to earn enough.
Job insecurity and competition.
Workplace culture that rewards visible presence.
Technology blurring boundaries between work and home.

Policy approaches

Working-hour limits and overtime pay in labour laws.
Right to disconnect laws in some countries, such as France and Australia.
Experiments with four-day weeks.
Raising productivity per hour through better skills, technology and management, rather than longer hours.

Two teams

One team routinely works 70-hour weeks. Mistakes pile up, key staff burn out and quit, and the manager spends time hiring replacements. Another team works 45 focused hours, takes breaks and retains experienced people. Over a year, the second team delivers more.

Thinking more hours always means more output

Beyond a point, extra hours add little output and increase errors, health risks and burnout.

Key takeaways

India has among the longest average working hours in the world.
Evidence shows diminishing returns beyond about 50 hours a week.
The WHO and ILO linked 55-plus-hour weeks to many deaths from stroke and heart disease.
Raising productivity per hour is a better path than longer hours.