Tokyo, Singapore, Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur, and Houston have been identified as the cities with the most overworked population globally, in a study by mobile access technology company Kisi.
This index was calculated on the basis of factors affecting work intensity, such as arrival time AM, hours worked/week (≥ 48 hours of work/week), minimum vacation offered and taken, unemployment, paid parental leave days, and commuting (one-way, minutes).
1. Tokyo, Japan (100)
2. Singapore (95.4)
3. Washington DC, US (93.4)
4. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (93.3)
5. Houston, US (91.7)
6. Buenos Aires, Argentina (91.3)
7. Atlanta, US (90.9)
8. Seattle, US (90.5)
9. Chicago, US (90.4)
10. Boston, US (89.4)
Bernhard Mehl, CEO of Kisi, commented: “Despite living in an era where unprecedented advancements have been made in technology and connectivity, we have failed to address the most everyday aspect of enhancing our everyday lives—finding the balance between work and leisure.”
1. Helsinki, Finland (28.7 days of vacation taken per year)
2. Munich, Germany (406 days of paid maternal and parental leave)
3. Oslo, Norway (31 minutes of one-way commuting per day)
4. Hamburg, Germany (11.6 μg/m3 air pollutants)
5. Stockholm, Sweden (26 days of vacation taken per year)
6. Berlin, Germany (406 days of paid maternal and parental leave)
7. Zurich, Switzerland (40.03 minutes of one-way commuting per day)
8. Barcelona, Spain (12.3 μg/m3 air pollutants)
9. Paris, France (30 days of vacation taken per year)
10. Vancouver, Canada (364 days of paid maternal and parental leave)
Apart from being featured in the most overworked cities’ ranking, neighbours Malaysia and Singapore had additional aspects of the index in common. Both were ranked among countries with the lowest vacation days taken – 12.3 days taken in Malaysia, and 14 days taken in Singapore.
Asian cities also featured heavily in the top five ranking for cities with the highest percentage of people working more than 48 hours per week – Singapore’s workforce at an average of 44.6 hours/week, Kuala Lumpur at 46 hours/week, and Hong Kong at 44 hours/week.
The report also uncovered a number of interesting data points about cities globally, such as: