Half the world’s workforce works too much or too little: ILO
WORKING nine-to-five is not the norm for more than half the global workforce, a report published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday (Jan 6) showed.
The study on work-life balance found that prior to the pandemic, average hours of work fell well within the normal range at 43.9 hours per week. It also found that about a third of workers had a work week of more than 48 hours, and a fifth worked part-time, or fewer than 35 hours per week.
The organisation said: “Although long hours of work decreased slightly early in the pandemic, and short hours of work increased somewhat, both of these phenomena were already reverting to their pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020.”
Its report also examined the mismatches between workers’ actual hours of work, and their preferred hours of work. The data showed a substantial misalignment.
Measures introduced during the Covid pandemic “yielded powerful new evidence that giving workers more flexibility in how, where and when they work can be positive both for them and for business”, said the ILO, citing the example of increased productivity.
“Conversely, restricting flexibility brings substantial costs, including increased staff turnover.”
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It added: “There is a substantial amount of evidence that work-life balance policies provide significant benefits to enterprises, supporting the argument that such policies are a ‘win-win’ for both employers and employees.” BLOOMBERG
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