The survey was jointly conducted by Oxfam, the Institute of Policy Studies and the Centre for Cultural Research and Development of Lingnan University between May and October by conducting in-depth interviews and collecting questionnaires from about 200 young people aged 18 to 29.

The results were released on Saturday, ahead of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty next Monday (Oct 17).

The results showed that the weekly working hour of Hong Kong youths stands between 43.1 and 46.7 on average, greater than the international standard of 40 hours.

Almost four-fifths of respondents said they have a fixed number of daily working hours written in their contracts or verbally instructed. Yet, about half of the respondents said their working hours are not fixed.

Meanwhile, some 60 percent of respondents said their employers do not pay them for working overtime, and about 30 percent said they are compensated by allowances or leave days.

Some of the respondents are “slashers,” a term referring to those taking on more than one career at the same time, while others are freelance workers or casual workers. They continue to work overtime as they rarely sign a permanent agreement with the employers. Different workplace cultures are another contributing factor, according to the results.

Around half of the respondents interviewed work more than 45 hours a week, and some even close to 60. They added their physical health has been worsening because of the long working hours, which also lead them to miss the meals or start smoking.

Pun Ngai, director of the Centre for Cultural Research and Development, said Hong Kong's legislation on standardized working hours lacks behind that of other countries.

She called on the government to revise policies on working hours and relevant labor legislation, proposing a standard of eight hours a day and 40 hours a week, with extra rates of 50 percent.