The Influence of a Standard Workweek on Obesity Among Male Workers: An Occupational Intervention in South Korea

Abstract

Despite its significant policy implications, not much is known about the causal impact of working long hours on obesity. The available evidence is mixed due to biases associated with omitted variables, reverse causality, and sample selection. Owing in part to this lack of conclusive evidence, the standard workweek—which sets the maximum weekly work hours for full-time salaried workers and, therefore, tends to limit their overtime work—has received little attention as a policy tool for tackling obesity. Between 2004 and 2011, the Korean government reduced the standard workweek from 44 to 40 hours for larger establishments, followed by smaller ones. We examine how this four-hour reduction affected body mass index (BMI) and obesity among male workers.