In charts: Do Gujaratis work hardest and are Goans the smartest?

For decades, India’s work culture has been a topic of debate — are we working too little or too much? Some corporate leaders believe Indians should clock in 70-hour workweeks, while others argue that productivity isn’t just about time spent at work. But what does the data say? A recent analysis by the PM’s Economic Advisory Council based on the 2019 Time Use Survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation sheds light on how Indians really work. The ﬁndings reveal striking patterns — Goans work the least yet lead in economic output, Gujaratis put in the longest hours, and urban India grinds harder than rural areas. So, are we working enough—or just working wrong? TOI examines the data.Nearly 7x difference between Bihar and Gujarat…Gujarat has the largest proportion of people who work more than 70 hours per week, while Bihar has the lowest.A 70-hour workweek would mean someone will need to work over 11 and a half hours (or 700 minutes) a day for 6 days in a week. medium nocaption118924980 medium nocaption118926641City vs village: Who puts in more hours?While an average individual in cities works for 7.8 hours per day, an average individual in rural India does 6.7 hours. medium nocaption118926708Who works more — men or women? Answer isn’t simpleIn both urban and rural areas, women spend less time at work than men each day. But women spend significantly more time on unpaid household activities. Women who work outside the household (paid economic activities) have the least amount of leisure time compared to all other demographics. medium nocaption118926672Do government workers have it easier?On average, government employees work nearly an hour less than private workers both in urban and rural India. In the urban areas of Telangana and Rajasthan, government employees work two more hours every day than their counterparts in Assam, Meghalaya and Kerala.Less work, more money: What is Goa’s secret?Even a 1% increase in time spent on employment-related activities led to a 1.7% higher per capita income. Analysis, however, found Goa leading in terms of economic output despite having lower average work hours. medium nocaption118926778Wealthier nations work less, live moreIndia’s annual working hours are comparable to fast-developing countries like China, Malaysia and the Philippines, but its GDP per capita is lower than theirs. We are ahead of Bangladesh, though, where people work longer hours but make less money. medium nocaption118926824Source: ‘Time spent on employment-related activities in India: A note’ by Dr Shamika Rav | Graphics: Sajeev Kumarapuram