(Ecns.cn)--Cable News Network released a list earlier in August on the paid holidays of 39 countries. Brazil and Lithuania topped the list with 41 days, while China ranked last with 21 days.
Echoing the list, a recent survey conducted in September by the state-run magazine Insight China detailed the lack of paid holidays in 10 industries of the country. Lower-ranking government officials, workers in the IT industry, and scientific researchers suffer the most.
With paid holidays being from 5 to 15 days stipulated by law, 63.4% polled workers claimed "having no free time" while only 30% percent of them enjoy the benefit of a paid holiday.
This leads to a disturbing truth about the world's second largest economy. Behind the continuously rising GDP, sitting at 9.4% this year, 80% of Chinese white-collar workers work prolonged hours.
2,200 working hours every year
One of the most eye-catching figures revealed by the survey is the considerable prolonged working hours subjected to the country's breadwinners.
The survey suggested that 76.3% of those interviewed work for longer than 40 hours every week. Meanwhile, 28.8% of those polled work over 50 hours a week, while another 11.8% work 60 hours or more.
This confirms the theory of Lang Xianping, a Hong Kong economist who once announced on a TV talk show that China ranked first with regards to working hours in the world. "An average worker in China works for 2,200 hours every year, while their counterparts in America, the so called 'no vacation nation,' work for only 1,610 hours per year," said the economist. He also mentioned the lowest hourly labor payment in the country, which is 0.8 US dollars, 21.2 dollars less than that in U.S.
Due to their busy schedules, 81.9% of the polled workers are not satisfied with their lack of weekly leisure time, while 4.2% of them complained about not having any free time at all. This feeling grew this year by 41.5%.
Worse than the prolonged working hours is that many have never enjoyed a paid holiday. This anguishes Chinese white-collar workers, most of whom "fit the qualifications yet fail to apply for paid leave."
As a result, there are mounting complaints among white-collar workers about "not being able to spare time for long-distance trips." Instead, they surf online, which beats out other leisure activities as the most popular entertainment among Chinese workers, according to the released survey.
