Bengaluru workforce averages 47.2 weekly hours, below national average of 49.5
A new report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has revealed that the workforce in Bengaluru works an average of 47.2 hours per week, falling below the national average of 49.5 hours for million-plus cities. The study, titled "Labour Market Dynamics in Million-Plus Cities in India," highlights that this gap is primarily driven by the city's male workforce.
According to the report, men in Bengaluru work an average of 48.9 hours a week, which is significantly lower than the national average of 51.9 hours for males in million-plus cities. Conversely, women in the city work an average of 42.9 hours per week, slightly higher than the national average of 41.6 hours.
The data also pointed to a notable disparity in employment rates between genders in Bengaluru. The unemployment rate for female workers in the city stands at 3.7 per cent, compared to 2.4 per cent for male workers.
A pronounced gender gap was also recorded among residents classified as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). In the 15–29 age demographic, 24 per cent of women in Bengaluru fall into the NEET category, whereas only 3 per cent of men do. This gap widens in the 30–59 age group, where 63.1 per cent of women are classified as NEET compared to just 3.4 per cent of men.
The MoSPI report also detailed the reasons why residents remain outside the labor force. Among men aged 15 years and above who are not in the labor force, 53.4 per cent cited continuing education as their primary reason, while 43.1 per cent cited age- or health-related issues. Both of these figures are higher than the national average for million-plus cities.
For women, domestic responsibilities remain the dominant factor. Nearly 63.5 per cent of women staying out of the labor force cited childcare and household responsibilities as the primary reason, while only around 14 per cent cited age- or health-related factors.
The findings were compiled from a survey of more than 60,000 individuals across 46 million-plus cities, which included nearly 4,000 respondents from 1,392 households in Bengaluru.
