In Chinese employment law, work hours are the time spent by a worker to complete tasks assigned by an employer and are the unit by which wages are commonly paid. Work hours are strictly regulated in China, and must conform to one of several statutory plans. Standard Work Hours Plan The standard plan uses a fixed number of work hours per day and is the default option for an employer. Under the traditional Communist regime, the standard work hours were set at 48 hours per week over six days a week. New labor law issued in 1994 shortened it to 44 hours. State Council Order #174 now requires the standard work week be 40 hours, with one day off at minimum.

Learn more about China’s work hour law here.