QUOTE
Nearly half of Thai workers overwork
Nearly a century after adopting its first international standard on working time, a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO) estimates that one in five workers worldwide -- over 600 million persons -- stilll work more than 48 hours a week, often just to make ends meet.
Among the countries surveyed, Thailand ranks third with 46.7 per cent of workers putting in more than 48 hours every week.
Globally, Peru topped the list with 50.9 per cent of workers, followed by the Republic of Korea with 49.5 per cent.
In addition, the minimum legal entitlement for an annual holiday in Thailand is also among the lowest of the Asian countries included, which at 10 days or less, is lower than the minimum legal entitlement in Cambodia, Indonesia and Viet Nam.
The new study, Working Time Around the World: Trends in working hours, laws and policies in a global comparative perspective says an estimated 22 per cent of the global workforce, or 614.2 million workers, work "excessively long" hours.
The study spotlights working time in over 50 countries and for the first time explores the implications for working time policies in developing and transition countries. It mainly shows that working hours in developing and transition countries are highly diverse: some work very long hours, others work few hours.
Average working hours in manufacturing worldwide range between 35 to 45 hours per week, but are much longer in a number of developing countries, including Thailand -- the only country where the hours of work in manufacturing average over 59 per week.
Thailand is also the only country where the hours worked in manufacturing are longer than those in the services sectors.
But in some types of services work employees are also working 50 hours or more, including transport storage and communication (50 hours a week), real estate and business actives (50.7), financial intermediation (52.9), health and social work (53.4 hrs). Informal employment is another major source of longer working hours.
Nearly 57 per cent of all self-employed workers in Thailand work over 50 hours per week. Few self-employed people (only one in eight) work less than 35 hours a week.
Almost 80 percent of the Thai self-employed are aged over 41 years old; in the other Asian countries for which data was available (Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) the majority are in their 30s or younger.
Shorter working hours, the report says, can have positive benefits to workers' health and family lives, reduced accidents at the workplace, and greater productivity and equality between the sexes. Many short-hour workers in developing and transition countries may be underemployed, and thus more likely to fall into poverty.
"Progress is being made in regulating normal working hours," said Jon C. Messenger of the ILO, who co-directed the study, "but overall the findings of this study are definitely worrying, especially the prevalence of excessively long hours."
Attempts to reduce hours in these countries have been unsuccessful for various reasons including the need of workers to work long hours simply to make ends meet and the widespread use of overtime by employers in an effort to increase output under conditions of low productivity.
The ILO report says that in general, laws and policies on working time have a little influence on actual working hours, especially in terms of maximum weekly hours, overtime payments and informal employment.
The study suggests reducing long working hours to lessen the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses, and their associated costs to workers, employers, and society as a whole; adopting family-friendly working time measures adapted to national circumstances, such as flexi-time, emergency family leave, and part-time work and promoting the development of high quality part-time work. (ILO News/TNA)
Nearly a century after adopting its first international standard on working time, a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO) estimates that one in five workers worldwide -- over 600 million persons -- stilll work more than 48 hours a week, often just to make ends meet.
Among the countries surveyed, Thailand ranks third with 46.7 per cent of workers putting in more than 48 hours every week.
Globally, Peru topped the list with 50.9 per cent of workers, followed by the Republic of Korea with 49.5 per cent.
In addition, the minimum legal entitlement for an annual holiday in Thailand is also among the lowest of the Asian countries included, which at 10 days or less, is lower than the minimum legal entitlement in Cambodia, Indonesia and Viet Nam.
The new study, Working Time Around the World: Trends in working hours, laws and policies in a global comparative perspective says an estimated 22 per cent of the global workforce, or 614.2 million workers, work "excessively long" hours.
The study spotlights working time in over 50 countries and for the first time explores the implications for working time policies in developing and transition countries. It mainly shows that working hours in developing and transition countries are highly diverse: some work very long hours, others work few hours.
Average working hours in manufacturing worldwide range between 35 to 45 hours per week, but are much longer in a number of developing countries, including Thailand -- the only country where the hours of work in manufacturing average over 59 per week.
Thailand is also the only country where the hours worked in manufacturing are longer than those in the services sectors.
But in some types of services work employees are also working 50 hours or more, including transport storage and communication (50 hours a week), real estate and business actives (50.7), financial intermediation (52.9), health and social work (53.4 hrs). Informal employment is another major source of longer working hours.
Nearly 57 per cent of all self-employed workers in Thailand work over 50 hours per week. Few self-employed people (only one in eight) work less than 35 hours a week.
Almost 80 percent of the Thai self-employed are aged over 41 years old; in the other Asian countries for which data was available (Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) the majority are in their 30s or younger.
Shorter working hours, the report says, can have positive benefits to workers' health and family lives, reduced accidents at the workplace, and greater productivity and equality between the sexes. Many short-hour workers in developing and transition countries may be underemployed, and thus more likely to fall into poverty.
"Progress is being made in regulating normal working hours," said Jon C. Messenger of the ILO, who co-directed the study, "but overall the findings of this study are definitely worrying, especially the prevalence of excessively long hours."
Attempts to reduce hours in these countries have been unsuccessful for various reasons including the need of workers to work long hours simply to make ends meet and the widespread use of overtime by employers in an effort to increase output under conditions of low productivity.
The ILO report says that in general, laws and policies on working time have a little influence on actual working hours, especially in terms of maximum weekly hours, overtime payments and informal employment.
The study suggests reducing long working hours to lessen the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses, and their associated costs to workers, employers, and society as a whole; adopting family-friendly working time measures adapted to national circumstances, such as flexi-time, emergency family leave, and part-time work and promoting the development of high quality part-time work. (ILO News/TNA)
I wish I have more lazy time to spend on Af
I always thought the Japanese would top this list
Anyway is that the proven fact, or it's just something you learn while you work as the mob for hire.
