City and its youth share a love-hate relationship: Survey

City and its youth share a love-hate relationship: Survey

Life in the city of dreams is full of stress, with demanding work life, long commutes, unsafe environment, etc, say young working professionals from the city. However, 90% want to continue living here. A survey ‘Understanding voice of the working youth in Mumbai’, initiated by the youth arm of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry, revealed that besides endless commuting and lack of affordable housing, most Mumbaikars are concerned about their lack of time to indulge in any form of exercise. The survey report was released on Thursday. With the city’s changing dynamics, 70% working professionals don’t find it safe and 80% get only one weekly off. Also, with more than 60% having no fitness regime, the city shows unhealthy environment. The survey report states, “Mumbai’s working youth share a love-hate relationship with this city of dreams. Most start their work days early, spend long hours at work, and also spend a big chunk of the day travelling back and forth. This leaves them with hardly any time to pursue other interests. Only 41% are extremely satisfied with the work they are doing. Despite this, only 18% prefer a lower-paying job close to home over a high-paying one requiring a lot of commuting; 26% women prefer convenience over pay.” Commuting takes up 1/10th of the waking hours of young Mumbaikars’ workdays, which is one hour a day on an average. Normally, a working person in Mumbai spends nine hours in office. Men tend to work longer than women, and those aged between 21 and 27 work the longest. Young professionals in the city are so stressed with their work that they try to evolve their social life in and around the workplace. Report shows that 89% have a best friend at work and 49% have a mentor. Ashit Kampani, chairperson, Young Bombay Forum, said, “The forum wishes to understand the broader issues facing youth in Mumbai. The findings are to be discussed with major employers in the city to help young professionals have a balanced life.”