I'm a millennial. Work-life balance was always something I wanted but never had control over. It depended on the job, the manager, and the system. When Gen Z entered the workforce, I liked their approach. For them, work-life balance isn't aspirational. It's non-negotiable.
Yes, managing those expectations can be uncomfortable. But that's also how workplaces evolve. Many factors decide how many hours one works in a particular country. So, can Indians work fewer hours?
Americans Have Begun Working Fewer Hours
The evidence from the US concludes that Americans are working fewer hours (finally). The US lost many manufacturing jobs because factories relocated to China in the 2000s. More part-time service gigs, an ageing population, an increase in higher-education enrolments, and a growing preference towards work-life balance from younger folks all meant shorter work hours. Technology has played an important role as more work gets done in less time.
Medicaid Also Helped Reduce Working Hours
Recent research by Serdar Birinci, Loukas Karabarbounis, and Kurt See points to another factor: Medicaid. It argues that the expansion of public healthcare through Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act gave workers more flexibility. People depended on employer-provided insurance. So, losing a job meant losing insurance. These measures delinked insurance from employment and even subsidised it, thus reducing dependence on a job and gaining more flexibility.
Why Does Europe Work Less?
The research paper highlights that as the US adopted European-style welfare features, its working hours started resembling those in Europe — that's less work and more leisure time.
Back in the 1970s, Europeans worked more hours than Americans. Today, that's changed. While some researchers think higher taxes are to blame, others show that increased bargaining power of labour, generous paid leave, robust labour laws, and more equal wages are bigger reasons for the drop in working hours.
They concluded that Europeans work less because institutions such as universal healthcare, stronger unions, and regulated hours make it possible.
Inequality Leads to More Hours of Work
Then, there's an inequality angle too. A 2025 study in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that higher income inequality leads people to work more hours, mainly to keep up with others. Whether they close that gap or not is a different topic.
What common sense tells us is that as people reach the top level in the corporate world, they may work fewer hours. But researchers found that in more unequal economies, high-income employees work longer hours to stay ahead. This was largely found in the US and not in Europe because both have different cultures. In the US, being busy has become a sign of success more recently, while Europeans see it as a sign of weakness, and that's what showed up in the data.
Institutions or Culture?
Across countries, we see some patterns. As economies grow, hours first increase during the industrialisation phase and fall after reaching high income levels. However, East Asian Tigers seem to be outliers. Countries like Japan and South Korea are rich yet work long hours due to the work culture.
Therefore, countries need progressive laws and strong social security to make this shift happen. But unless people demand it, policies won't change. That's a chicken-and-egg situation. Workplaces don't offer shorter hours by default, and institutions don't change if people don't demand it. Therefore, we need both.
Final Take For India
India is in a different place. It is not comparable to the US or even Japan and South Korea from any angle. Average working hours here are among the highest, and for many people, long hours are a necessity.
In both the US and Europe, institutions have played a big role in reducing work hours. India lacks strong labour laws, unions, and social security to make it happen. Before that, we must acknowledge that only 15% of the workforce is employed in the formal sector. Rest don't even have a contract with their employer or a system of paid leave and gratuity. Thus, even if people wanted a change, the system may not be able to support them currently.
Inequality and culture reinforce this. India is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world. That means, even if the incomes rise, people may work more to catch up or stay ahead. Also, India's culture of long hours, aspirational rat race, and hustle, makes it closer to the US and East Asia than Europe.
Finally, most countries show that working hours fall after incomes and productivity rise significantly. India is yet to reach that stage.
Put together, all forces point one way. India will likely work more before it works less. I know this is heartbreaking, and I am not even defending the argument of working for more than 40 hours a week. The formalisation of the workforce, an increase in employment in labour-intensive sectors, and a productivity push can help us shift this reality faster.
Gen Z in metros and select companies may still be able to balance their work and life better than our generation, but to make it a pan-India move, that transition will take time.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of NDTV Profit or its affiliates. Readers are advised to conduct their own research or consult a qualified professional before making any investment or business decisions. NDTV Profit does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented in this article.
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