Asia: overwork in tech sector no longer a given

In both China and Japan, the long and mostly unpaid overtime hours that have traditionally been commonplace in the tech industry are no longer a given. In China, a joint directive from the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has taken aim at institutionalised overtime. In Japan, meanwhile, despite modernised legislation on working patterns passed in June 2018, including efforts to tackle the issue of excessive working hours, the trend in tech is towards renewed unionisation among white-collar workers who feel more vulnerable than ever, and whose fears extend beyond overwork.