Monday, 19 May, 2025
Both men and women have seen an increase in employment participation, though at varying levels. Image Source: Pixabay
The findings, based on data collected from 1,39,487 households between January and December 2024, indicate a marked increase in time devoted to employment, surpassing even rest in some cases.
Indians are spending significantly more time on work, entertainment, and unpaid caregiving in 2024 compared to 2019, according to the latest Time Use Survey (TUS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO). This shift has largely come at the expense of self-care and maintenance activities—a broad category that includes everything from sleep to medical care. Additionally, Indians have trimmed the time spent on almost all other daily activities.
The findings, based on data collected from 1,39,487 households between January and December 2024, indicate a marked increase in time devoted to employment, surpassing even rest in some cases. These trends align with the Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS), which have shown a rise in labor force participation post-pandemic. However, a more detailed breakdown of activities will only be available once unit-level data from the survey is released, as the current factsheet categorizes time use into just nine broad groups.
One of the most notable takeaways from the survey is that the rise in time spent on employment is driven by both higher participation—more people entering the workforce—and an increase in average working hours per participant. This distinction is crucial, as the overall average work hours per person can rise either due to more people joining the workforce or existing workers putting in longer hours.
Both men and women have seen an increase in employment participation, though at varying levels. Women’s participation in employment, which includes job training and job-seeking, has risen by 2.3 percentage points to 20.7 percent, while the corresponding increase for men is 3.5 percentage points, bringing their participation rate to 60.8 percent. This trend is observed across both rural and urban regions, underscoring a broader shift in India’s labor dynamics.
The rise in employment participation has been more pronounced in rural India than in urban areas. In 2019, rural Indians had a participation rate of 37.9 percent, trailing their urban counterparts by one percentage point. By 2024, this gap has not only closed but reversed, with rural participation climbing to 41.1 percent, now 60 basis points ahead of urban India.
The increase in workforce engagement is not just a result of higher participation rates but also longer working hours per participant. On average, individuals now spend 11 minutes more per day on employment compared to 2019. For men, this increase stands at 14 minutes, while for women, it is eight minutes. Similarly, rural Indians have seen a greater rise in work hours, with an average increase of 13 minutes per participant, compared to just five minutes for their urban counterparts.
Beyond employment, another category witnessing a notable surge in both participation and time spent is entertainment—broadly defined as cultural, leisure, mass-media, and sports activities. Participation in this category has grown by 6.1 percentage points overall, with a sharper rise among men (6.8 percentage points) than women (5.4 percentage points). Rural areas have seen greater engagement in entertainment activities, with participation increasing by 7.2 percentage points, compared to 3.4 percentage points in urban India. Time spent per participant has also risen by an average of six minutes, with increases across rural and urban areas and among men. However, women bucked this trend, spending a minute less on entertainment than in 2019. Notably, while women had previously spent a minute more than men on entertainment, they now spend 13 minutes less.
Another significant shift in daily time use since 2019 is the increase in unpaid caregiving and domestic work within households. While overall time spent on unpaid domestic tasks has declined, the time devoted specifically to caregiving has grown. Women now spend 10 more minutes on caregiving, while the increase for men is a modest two minutes. This shift has effectively offset the reduction in unpaid domestic work. As a result, the total time women spend on domestic and caregiving duties has risen slightly from 280 minutes in 2019 to 283 minutes in 2024. For men, this figure has increased marginally, from 36 minutes to 37 minutes. In the case of women, the rise in caregiving is driven by both greater participation and longer hours per participant.
In summary, Indians are dedicating more time to work while cutting back on rest compared to five years ago. In India, income is largely linked to the number of hours worked, strengthening the perception that longer workdays are essential to achieving global income standards. In contrast, nations with higher wages and better living conditions find it easier to emphasize work-life balance. However, extended working hours should not be seen as a necessity, argues Sudeep George, Chief Business Head at TeamLease HRTech.
