Over a quarter of regular workers exceed 48-hour workweek limit

Workers in industrialised states have been spending more time at work

Regular salaried workers in some of India’s most industrialised states are set to get meaningful relief under the new labour codes, which cap the workweek at 48 hours. Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24 shows that a significant share of employees in Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra are working well above this limit.

Delhi recorded the longest work week in FY24, with regular wage employees clocking an average of 54.3 hours. Gujarat followed at 52.5 hours, Rajasthan at 52.3 hours, and Maharashtra at nearly 50 hours. Overall, 18 of India’s 36 states and Union Territories exceeded the proposed 48-hour weekly limit. Nationally, regular workers averaged 48.8 hours per week.

At the other end of the spectrum, states in the Northeast reported much shorter workweeks. Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Meghalaya all averaged 40–42 hours per week, reflecting either lower industrial activity or a higher share of service-sector roles with more balanced working patterns.

The PLFS data also underscores how common long working hours have become across the country. About one in four regular workers put in more than 48 hours per week, while 7.7 percent worked between 60 and 72 hours. In Delhi, the intensity is far higher: nearly 40 percent of regular wage employees worked beyond 48 hours, and more than 23 percent logged over 60 hours a week. Gujarat and Rajasthan show similar patterns, with 31 percent and 35.3 percent of workers, respectively, working between 48 and 60 hours. Chandigarh also reported a high concentration of long-hour workers.

Rajasthan and Punjab are set to benefit from other measures, as both states continue to report some of the highest levels of informality among regular wage earners.

The data shows that more than three-fourths of regular non-agricultural employees in both states worked without a written job contract, far above the national average of 58 percent. Punjab recorded the highest incidence nationwide, with 84.5 percent of regular wage employees lacking a formal appointment letter, followed by Rajasthan at 77.1 percent.

The new labour codes—yet to be fully implemented—aim to formalise working conditions by enforcing the 48-hour cap and establishing a clearer framework for overtime. For employees in states with particularly long work schedules, especially in industrial belts across Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, the changes could translate into shorter work weeks or higher overtime pay once the provisions come into effect.