Millions of Indonesian Workers Endure Extreme Hours: How Long Each Day?

At a time when many countries are beginning to discuss four-day work weeks or work-life balance, long working hours remain a reality for tens of millions of workers in Indonesia. Almost two-thirds of Indonesian workers now work at least 35 hours each week. However, behind the dominance of full-time hours, around a quarter of workers still spend 49 hours or more working in a week. This means that over seven days, the average working time is 6.8 hours. If calculated over a five-day working week, the average becomes longer, at 9.6 hours or nearly 10 hours. Full-time work now dominates. The majority of Indonesian workers are now in the 35-48 hours per week bracket. As of February 2026, this group accounted for 39.46% of all employed people, making it the largest compared to other working hour categories. The figure was slightly down from August 2025 (40.43%), but still higher than February 2025 (38.93%). Meanwhile, workers with 1-34 hours reached 33.23%, those working 49 hours or more stood at 26.06%, and those temporarily not working were only around 1.24%. This composition shows that the Indonesian labour market is increasingly dominated by workers in full-time employment. Yet behind this shift, there remains a group of workers who work far beyond the normal duration. A quarter of workers still work excessively long hours. A total of 26.06% of Indonesian workers are recorded as working 49 hours or more each week. With the current employed population, this proportion equates to around 29.3 million people. The 49-hour per week threshold was not chosen arbitrarily. In the labour statistics used by the International Labour Organization (ILO), this group is classified as excessive hours of work. This means this group is not merely doing overtime at certain times. They routinely work beyond the working hours that are internationally considered the normal limit. Men are more likely to work very long hours. Differences also appear when the data is broken down by sex. In February 2026, 28.96% of male workers worked at least 49 hours per week. This figure was higher than for female workers, at 21.70%. Conversely, more women were in the 1-34 hours per week bracket. Their proportion reached 43.93%, while for men it was 26.63%. This difference does not automatically indicate that women work less. Some women work part-time, while others divide their time between domestic work and caregiving responsibilities that are not recorded as paid working hours. Thus, very long working hours are still more commonly found among male workers, while women are more often in the shorter working hours group. Long working hours are not necessarily more productive. Long working hours are often linked to productivity. However, the relationship between the two does not always run in a straight line. The ILO uses the excessive hours of work category because overly long working hours are associated with an increased risk of health problems, fatigue, workplace accidents, and disruption to work-life balance. Therefore, the quality of a job is no longer measured only by whether someone has a job, but also by how much time they must spend to maintain their income. It is no longer just about job creation. In recent years, Indonesia’s working hour structure has indeed shown improvement. The proportion of workers with excessive hours has continued to decline, while the group of workers with 35-48 hours per week has become the largest. Nevertheless, the number of workers who work at least 49 hours each week still reaches around 29.3 million people. This means the challenge for the Indonesian labour market is no longer just about creating new jobs. The subsequent debate shifts to the quality of work. Not just whether someone is working, but how much time they must sacrifice to earn a decent income.