India is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing and most diverse economies, providing employment opportunities for nearly 512 million people, making it the country with the second largest labor force after China.

In 2019, India conducted its first time-use survey in two decades. The results showed that men spend over four times as much time on paid work as women, and urban men spend over an hour more each day on paid work than their rural counterparts.

Furthermore, the data revealed that leisure activities accounted for less than a tenth of an Indian’s day, with women receiving even less time than men for leisure pursuits.
This booklet delves into the realities of working in India, examining whether the data accurately reflects the experiences of working Indians, and whether there are signs of improvement.