<p>New Delhi: The average time spent by Indians on “self-care and maintenance activities” like sleep, eating and exercise, declined sharply in the five-year period from 2019 to 2024 while engagement in employment and related activities increased, a household survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows.</p><p>In 2019, people aged six years and above spent an average 726 minutes or 12.1 hours on self-care. This declined to 708 minutes or 11.8 hours in 2024. Women spent less time (706 minutes) on self-care than men (710 minutes) in 2024.</p><p>The statistics department data reveals a shift in India’s workforce dynamics. The decline in self-care time has led to higher time spent on employment and related activities.</p><p>The findings come amid a controversy over Larsen & Toubro chairman S N Subrahmanyan’s suggestion that employees should work 90 hours a week. Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy has also pitched for longer work hours.</p><p>According to Time Use Survey by NSO during January-December 2024 among 1.39 lakh households, the proportion of time spent by persons aged six and above in employment and related activities increased to 12.5 per cent from 11.4 per cent in the previous survey conducted in 2019.</p>.Unemployment rate dips marginally to 6.4% in December quarter: Survey.<p>The survey reveals a huge gender gap in India’s workforce participation. Only 20.7 per cent of females were involved in employment and related activities during 2024. This clearly indicates that almost four in every five women are not involved in paid employment.</p><p>However, 81.5 per cent of females were involved in unpaid domestic services. This proportion for male stood at only 27.1 per cent. Higher proportions of women were also involved in unpaid caregiving services for household members and production of goods for their own final use. Around 41 per cent of females aged 15-59 years participated in caregiving for their household members, while male participation stood at 21.4 per cent.</p><p>Also, female participants in caregiving activities spent about 140 minutes in a day, compared to 74 minutes spent by male participants aged 15-59 years. “This corroborates the Indian social fabric wherein most of the caregiving responsibilities for household members are borne by the females of the household,” the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation said in a statement.</p><p>Female (15-59 years) participation in unpaid domestic services declined to 305 minutes in 2024 from 315 minutes in 2019, when the first survey was conducted. Only 25 per cent of females in the age group 15-59 years participated in employment and related activities during the year 2024.</p>
<p>New Delhi: The average time spent by Indians on “self-care and maintenance activities” like sleep, eating and exercise, declined sharply in the five-year period from 2019 to 2024 while engagement in employment and related activities increased, a household survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows.</p><p>In 2019, people aged six years and above spent an average 726 minutes or 12.1 hours on self-care. This declined to 708 minutes or 11.8 hours in 2024. Women spent less time (706 minutes) on self-care than men (710 minutes) in 2024.</p><p>The statistics department data reveals a shift in India’s workforce dynamics. The decline in self-care time has led to higher time spent on employment and related activities.</p><p>The findings come amid a controversy over Larsen & Toubro chairman S N Subrahmanyan’s suggestion that employees should work 90 hours a week. Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy has also pitched for longer work hours.</p><p>According to Time Use Survey by NSO during January-December 2024 among 1.39 lakh households, the proportion of time spent by persons aged six and above in employment and related activities increased to 12.5 per cent from 11.4 per cent in the previous survey conducted in 2019.</p>.Unemployment rate dips marginally to 6.4% in December quarter: Survey.<p>The survey reveals a huge gender gap in India’s workforce participation. Only 20.7 per cent of females were involved in employment and related activities during 2024. This clearly indicates that almost four in every five women are not involved in paid employment.</p><p>However, 81.5 per cent of females were involved in unpaid domestic services. This proportion for male stood at only 27.1 per cent. Higher proportions of women were also involved in unpaid caregiving services for household members and production of goods for their own final use. Around 41 per cent of females aged 15-59 years participated in caregiving for their household members, while male participation stood at 21.4 per cent.</p><p>Also, female participants in caregiving activities spent about 140 minutes in a day, compared to 74 minutes spent by male participants aged 15-59 years. “This corroborates the Indian social fabric wherein most of the caregiving responsibilities for household members are borne by the females of the household,” the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation said in a statement.</p><p>Female (15-59 years) participation in unpaid domestic services declined to 305 minutes in 2024 from 315 minutes in 2019, when the first survey was conducted. Only 25 per cent of females in the age group 15-59 years participated in employment and related activities during the year 2024.</p>