Every three in 10 employees on the Chinese mainland work 10 hours or longer per workday, according to a new survey.

But even the average worker on the mainland toils eight hours and 40 minutes a day, concluded a survey of 30,000 residents in 28 cities who were asked about their work and life in the last three months. Nearly half of the respondents work longer than the eight-hour workday stipulated by Chinese labor law.

The Institute of Social Science Survey, affiliated with Peking University, and Zhaopin.com, one of China's biggest employment agencies, jointly released the poll results in late April ahead of May Day, which fell on Tuesday.

About 66 percent of respondents said they had to work after they went home for about half an hour.

"I feel as if I start work the moment I open my eyes every morning and don't stop until I fall asleep," said Fan Min, 26, a property agent in Beijing.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)