Back to the grind: Workers in Andhra Pradesh were clocking 10-hour days before pandemic too

AP has been demanding more from its workers

Andhra Pradesh's recent decision to extend the workday from nine to ten hours in private firms and factories would roll back the gains made by salaried workers post-pandemic, according to a Moneycontrol analysis.

In 2018–19 (July–June), salaried workers in the southern state were already working close to 10 hours a day, or 49.7 hours a week. By 2023–24, the hours reduced to 47.4 a week, reflecting a broader post-pandemic shift toward moderated work schedules.

The state government has now moved to amend labour laws, making 10-hour workdays mandatory, potentially undoing the progress made in reducing working hours.

Andhra saw one of the steepest reductions in working hours after the pandemic. Between 2018–19 and 2023–24, the state recorded a 4.6 percent decline in average weekly work hours, higher than the national average of 3.9 percent.

Longer hours than southern peers

Andhra Pradesh’s latest attempt to woo more industries could be the reason behind longer work hours, an analysis shows that the state had longer hours than many of their southern peers.

In 2023–24, workers in Andhra Pradesh logged 47.4 hours a week, higher than Tamil Nadu’s 46.5, Kerala’s 45.6 and 47.1 in Karnataka.

Telangana was the only southern with longer work hours, with workers clocking 48.2 hours a week.

But lags some northern and western states

India’s average work week was 48.8 hours in 2023–24, down from 50.7 hours in 2018–19. However, southern states lag some of their northern and western counterparts.

Delhi had the longest working hours at 54.3 followed by Gujarat at 52.5 and Maharashtra at 49.9 hours a week. Uttar Pradesh workers clocked 49.2 hours and Haryana 48.7.

In Delhi, over 61.8 percent of people worked more than 48 hours a week, while in Andhra Pradesh, just over 30 percent did so.