Jobs and the Future of Work

Where do millennials work the longest hours?

Millennials working long hours

Millennials in Mexico, China and Singapore are working 48 hours a week. Image: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Emma Luxton
Senior Writer , Forum Agenda
  • The traditional “career ladder” of previous generations is being replaced by “career waves,” according to Manpower's Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision report.
  • The report also suggest that almost three quarters of young people are working more than 40 hours a week.
  • Millennials in Mexico, China and Singapore are working 48 hours a week. A quarter globally had two or more jobs.

Millennials have been labelled lazy and unproductive but a new report suggests the opposite may be true.

Those who were 18-34 in 2015, who will make up a third of the global workforce by 2020, expect to work longer hours and retire much later than previous generations, according to Manpower's Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision.

The working week for millennials

Results from more than 19,000 millennials in 25 countries suggest that the traditional 40-hour week is a thing of the past – almost three quarters of young people are working more than 40 hours a week.

Millennials hours worked per week, according to Manpower's Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision.
Millennials hours worked per week, according to Manpower's Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision. Image: Manpower

Nearly a quarter work more than 50, with young Indians working the longest -- 52 hours. Millennials in Mexico, China and Singapore are working 48 hours a week. A quarter globally had two or more jobs.

Millennials are in it for the long run

More than a quarter expect to be working past the age of 70. 12% believe they will work until the day they die.

When do millennials expect to retire?
When do millennials expect to retire? Image: Manpower

Career waves

The traditional “career ladder” of previous generations is being replaced by “career waves”, according to the report.

Millennials don’t expect to stay in the same job for many years, instead they understand the need for continuous skill development and are prepared to change jobs throughout their careers.

With the expectation of working into old age, 84% of millennials are planning to take a career break at some point – this time out could be to care for relatives or children, ‘me time’ to travel and pursue life dreams, or to return to education and gain new skills.

The report urges employers to take note of these changes in career expectations in order to take advantage of this large and growing segment of the global workforce.

Have you read?
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Future of Work

Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of Work is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

What is the gig economy and what's the deal for gig workers?

Emma Charlton

November 22, 2024

3 lessons from the Middle East’s reskilling revolution

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum