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Majority of workers fear death from stress, fatigue

Nearly 74 percent of Taiwanese workers worry that they might become victims of karoshi -- a Japanese term for death from overwork, stress and fatigue from long working hours -- the results of a public opinion poll released yesterday showed.

The poll, conducted by 1111 Job Bank from April 13 to last Friday to mark Labor Day today, found that 90 percent of respondents have worked overtime, with overtime hours averaging 8.2 hours per week or 1.64 hours per work day. Nearly 50 percent were not paid for their overtime, the poll found.

Wu Jui-ying (吳睿穎), a 1111 vice president, quoted a 2003 report that was compiled by the Lausanne, Switzerland-based International Institute of Management Development as indicating that Taiwanese worked an average of 2,282 hours a year in 2002, more than anyone else in the world.

Wu said that similar tallies compiled by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics showed, people worked an average of 2,170 hours last year, or 180.8 hours per month.

The poll found that salaried men and women had so far worked 8.18 overtime hours per week this year, marking an increase of 1.52 hours over the average of 6.66 hours recorded in 2004.

The poll also found that 73.79 percent of office workers worry that they might die from overwork, as they often suffer from symptoms of fatigue, including sore, numb necks and shoulders, declining memory, difficulty concentrating and mood swings.

The poll had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 2.2 percent.
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