BENGALURU: At a time when the Karnataka government is planning to increase the working hours in the IT and ITeS sectors to 14 hours from the present 10 hours, including overtime, the Economic Survey 2024 reveals inflexibility in working hours in the country. Many countries offer more flexibility in organising work hours and allow for more overtime compared to India, it said.While in India, the working hours limit in a factory is 10.5, there is no limit in China, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Indonesia. In Bangladesh, it is 11 hours and in Vietnam, the working hours limit in a factory is 12.Labour Laws need to be reviewed to re-evaluate incentives for employers, with a focus on achieving better outcomes for economic growth and prosperity in the manufacturing sector, the Survey said, adding implementing more flexible labour laws could unleash substantial economic potential, promote gender inclusivity, and attract industrial investment.It also adds that Indian factories could hire more workers by adopting competitive per-worker space standards. The country prescribes higher floor space per worker on a factory floor compared to other countries. An Indian factory with 1,000 square metres of usable floor space can employ up to 82 more workers if India were to adopt Malaysia’s standard. The Economic Survey said that the increase in space requirements can discourage the expansion of factories.
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