72-Hour Work Week: Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's statement is once again in the headlines. He talked about China's 9, 9, 6 working week. Let's explain what it is.

996 Work Culture

Chinese Work Culture : China is once again in the headlines in India, this time regarding the way people work there. Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, who is always in the news for his statements, has once again suggested China's 72-hour work week. He said that life comes first, then work-life balance should be considered. Defending his previous statement, Narayana Murthy said, "Last year, Catamaran's senior and mid-level team visited China. They traveled to tier-1, tier-2, and tier-3 cities and stayed in ordinary hotels there, giving us a chance to understand the 'real China.' There's a saying there: 9, 9, 6. This means 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. That's a total of 72 hours of work."

Citing the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi , he said that the PM works nearly 100 hours a week and is a shining example of hard work. Murthy said that the new generation should take inspiration from him and work hard to create better opportunities for the less fortunate.

What is China's 9-9-6 rule?

Now, let's explain what 996 means in China. It means working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Many prominent tech leaders, like Jack Ma, have touted it as motivation. However, this culture has led to significant fatigue, burnout, and mental stress. According to a Bloomberg report, in recent years, many young Chinese professionals have left their fast-paced and stressful jobs in big cities for a quieter life in smaller towns, simply to escape the 996 culture.

China's crackdown on 9-9-6

According to a BBC report, in 2021, the Chinese government warned companies that such "exhausting work schedules are completely illegal." Chinese labor laws mandate a work limit of 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week. Overtime is mandatory for those who exceed this limit.

How much salary do you get?

Following Murthy's statement, many people on social media raised questions about salary. One user wrote, "In China, salaries are paid according to the 9-9-6 rule, not peanuts like in your company." Another user responded, "Sir, 996 can only be implemented in India if you are willing to pay even a junior software engineer a salary of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan per month. In China, the average salary for a starting software engineer is 8,000 to 15,000 yuan (approximately 93,000 to 1.75 lakh rupees)." Consequently, salaries vary at different levels. According to a Glassdoor report, the average annual salary for a junior software engineer in China with 1 to 3 years of experience is approximately 332,000 Chinese yuan, or approximately 45,000 US dollars, or approximately 37 to 40 lakh rupees in Indian rupees.