Which APAC countries are the most overworked in 2022?

Instant Offices compared average working hours, annual leave and workplace happiness to determine which APAC countries have the strongest culture of overworking.

Overwork culture: which countries live to work?

Many Asian countries are well known for extreme work cultures that can tip the work-life balance scales. Some of the most overworked countries in the region work excessive hours each week, with places like Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines working up to 45 hours a week.

We combined this data with average annual leave entitlement and the proportion of happy employees across 10 APAC countries to identify those with the highest overworking scores overall.

Countries ranked from most to least overworked

Singapore is the most overworked country

Singapore is widely known for having one of the worst cultures of overworking globally and ranks first on our list overall with some of the highest overall scores. Employees here work the longest hours each week, and around 7 in 10 are unhappy.

In addition, Google searches for ‘overworking’ in Singapore have increased by 74% since before the pandemic, and around 62% of people admit to feeling burnout in 2022.

Effects of working too hard

Being overworked compromises work-life balance and can be demotivating, but it’s also dangerous. Last year, research from the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation revealed that longer working hours have increased mortality rates in the APAC region by 29%. Since then, more organisations have begun advocating for regulations and policies that reduce overworking and introduce more flexibility.

A reoccurring trend in our data showed that the higher the weekly working hours, the lower the percentage of happy workers. With the added pressure of low annual leave entitlement – overworking can quickly become unhealthy. Malaysia, for example, has an average workweek of 42.3 hours and only 38% happy workers.

Combatting the culture of overworking

There are several ways in which some of the most overworked countries in the APAC region can combat overworking, and some countries in Europe are leading the way.

France introduced a 35-hour work-week policy, while employees are entitled to a four-day workweek in Belgium. Both Iceland and Spain have been experimenting with reduced working hours each week.

In Singapore, 76% of employees are interested in a 4-day work week, along with Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

Here’s how companies can help employees stop overworking

• Educate managers on how to spot burnout and overworking
• Create a culture of unplugging after work and on weekends
• Encourage open conversations about work-life balance
• Offer more flexible and agile working options

More and more businesses are choosing the hybrid way of working to offer teams more choice and flexibility about when and how they work. Speak to us about a flexible office solution anywhere in the world.