Indian millennials work a longer average week than young people in any other country

Indian millennials spend more hours at work than their counterparts in the rest of the world, research has revealed. The survey of 19,000 millennials across 25 countries put Indians at the top of the list, with young people in the country working an average of 52 hours per week.

The research was conducted by ManpowerGroup and revealed that young Indians spend more time in the office than the average Chinese millennial (who works 48 hours a week). At 52 hours per week, Indians also come out far ahead of young competition in Australia and Britain, who average on 41 hours per week.

The report stated: "Millennials entered the labour market during a global recession with record youth unemployment, faster-changing business cycles and increasing demand for new skills for which they are often told they lack the necessary education."

However, despite the difficulties millennials face in the job market, the research from Manpower revealed that millennials are confident about their career prospects, particularly in India. At least 70-80% of millennials surveyed in India said they were optimistic or confident about their prospects, compared with Japan, where only 30-39% of them said the same.

As a reflection on this, the research also found that young people in Japan know they will have to work longer than previous generations, with more than a third of respondents in the country saying they expect to work until they die. In India, only 14% of young people said the same. Workplace priorities in India also revealed that 85% of millennials place retirement policies as an important factor.

The research was conducted between February and April 2016, with 1,500 hiring managers also participating in the study to understand what millennials expect from their careers.

The report identified millennials as those born between 1982 and 1996 and aged between 20-34.