Recent comments by Indian tech-billionaire and co-founder of India's second largest IT company Infosys Narayana Murthy ended up being the topic of discussion in the Lok Sabha — the lower house of the Indian Parliament.

The father-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Murthy's remarks prompted three members of parliament to raise the issue during a parliamentary session, asking the ruling government if it was considering the suggestion to raise the number of working hours to 70 per week. The parliament, however, did not endorse the request of the parliamentarians.

Murthy's suggestion appeared to touch a nerve with many Indians, sparking a debate.

What did Murthy actually propose?

Murthy, in a recent podcast with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, said: "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity... we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. Therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week.'"

According to the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO), India has a workforce of 524 million people, of which 85% finds itself employed in very low paying jobs, while 95% of this unorganized sector is informally employed, meaning they have no written contracts, paid leaves, social security or any healthcare benefits.

"A 70-hour working week would be a reversion to the 19th Century Dickensian era of severe exploitation of ordinary workers," Rajiv Biswas, Executive Director and Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, told DW.

In its latest report published in 2023, the ILO says that Indians already work 47.7 hours a week, considerably more than highly industrialized, developed economies, like those of Japan or Germany, examples cited by 77-year-old Murthy. Although Indians work the seventh longest hours compared to anyone in the world, corresponding productivity is not as high. The comparison to Germany and Japan, both statistically more productive nations with considerably fewer hours working hours, only serves to heighten the debate.

Who benefits from a 70-hour work week

Unlike the unorganized sector, to which an overwhelming majority of the working population of India belongs, large corporations or private sector employers in the organized sector are the ones to enforce set working hours or define employer duties and responsibilities.

"No organization will benefit by adopting exploitative conditions for its workers," say Rajiv Biswas. "Any company adopting such disgraceful practices could face severe regulatory hurdles for its products in other nations that have best practice ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) standards."

From the perspectives of both the employee and the employer, equating working hours with productivity remains problematic and without concrete conclusions about its viability.

A country's industry and productivity are largely shaped by political will and government policies. In India, it is no different. Good market performance has to follow labor laws, regulations and the implementation of such laws.

Downsides of overworking

There has been widespread criticism of the ills of a lopsided work-life balance, not just in India but also across the globe, citing rising mental health issues. According to the report published by India's National Sample Survey (NSS), the country is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis.

According to the International Monetary Fund, only 17% of Indians are employed in the organized sector, which includes both private and government jobs.

The debate surrounding longer working hours, passionate nation building and actual outcomes, has intensified in the wake of Murthy's comments.

A 2021 study by Expert Market suggested that working overtime or long hours does not necessarily equate to increased productivity. The workforces of 42 countries around the world were examined, with Luxembourg topping the list with 34 hours a week. .

Economist Rajiv Biswas told DW that "India's path forward in terms of boosting productivity will be built on large-scale investment in modern infrastructure, adoption of advanced technology and productivity enhancement through Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Automation." 

Edited by: John Silk