Narayana Murthy, founder of the giant technology company Infosys, made a statement that was considered controversial when he advised young people in India to work at least 70 hours per week. Because productivity in India is currently low.
“Young people in our country have to say, this is my country and I want to work 70 hours a week. “This is exactly what German citizens and Japanese citizens did after World War II,” said Murthy, in a podcast.
According to him, young people in India have habits that Western people are not used to and these habits of young Indian people do not contribute to the country. For this reason, India needs to increase its productivity at work, reduce corruption in government bodies and reduce the decision-making system that is too bureaucratic. Because all of this will not enable the country to compete with countries that have made rapid progress.
Murthy’s comments immediately sparked debate on social media, highlighting the huge difference between the expectations of young workers and corporate leaders, who have both witnessed India’s growth into a major country on the world stage, especially in the technology and business development sectors.
A number of businessmen expressed support for Muthy’s views, but many people criticized him by mentioning the income gap and balanced life (between personal and work life).
“ Billionaires want cheap labor and long hours (in other words, slavery)! They may be praying for the labor market to worsen,” wrote X (Twitter) user Amitranjan Gantait.
Forbes noted that Muthy has a net worth of USD 4.3 billion (Rp. 68 trillion). Last year, a number of media in India reported based on data from a research company, the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, that in the period 2017 and 2022 there were millions of people in India leaving the labor market, without even looking for a new job. Overall, the average labor force participation rate fell from 46 percent to 40 percent.
Source : Tempo.co