What countries use a 4 day work week?
Iceland: One of the leaders in the four-day working week
Between 2015 to 2019, Iceland conducted the world's largest pilot of a 35 to 36-hour workweek (cut down from the traditional 40 hours) without any calls for a commensurate cut in pay. Some 2,500 people took part in the test phase.
A broad picture from four-day districts
More than 1,600 U.S. school districts have adopted the model as of 2019-20.
Belgium announced in February plans to offer employees the option to request a four-day workweek, as the government seeks to boost flexibility in the workplace amid the coronavirus crisis.
A Danish municipality has become the first to introduce a four-day working week. From this week, the 300 staff at Odsherred Municipality will no longer work on Fridays, instead making up their 35 hours with extended days over the rest of the week.
Belgium. Belgium is the latest country to not only introduce a 4-day workweek, but also gives employees the right to ignore work-related messages and turn off work devices after work hours.
According to the OECD, the country with the shortest working week is the Netherlands, with a reported 29.5 weekly working hours. Broken down by day, that translates to a four-day workweek with just 7.37-hour days.
Having Fridays free would give teachers more time to plan exciting lessons. At some schools, the four-day week has led to better attendance. Students can plan doctor appointments for Fridays. That way, they won't miss class.
Shortening the school day could give kids and teens more time for movement, brain breaks, and other activities proven to boost learning outcomes among other benefits. With more opportunities to move around and worry less about following classroom rules, kids could be better prepared to focus when it counts.
Having the ability to physically and mentally recuperate will increase performance and quality of work, and therefore, a four-day workweek will likely encourage learning in the classroom. Overall, having a four-day workweek will benefit students and adults alike, and should therefore be implemented.
6 Days Work Week
Countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea have a high number of average work hours per year.
Will Canada have a 4 day work week?
The four-day workweek's status in Canada
Last year, Montreal video game studio Eidos also made the switch, announcing that their offices would be closed on Fridays. Most recently, Toronto tech firm Alida announced their four-day workweek pilot program, which will kick off this summer.
- Denmark — 25.9.
- Norway — 26.3.
- Germany — 25.6.
- Netherlands — 26.9.
- Iceland — 27.6.
- France — 27.0.
- Luxembourg — 27.4.
- Uruguay — 29.5 (2019)
Some of the world's most productive countries, like Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands work around 27 hours a week. The 4-day work week is closer than ever to becoming a reality for workers in some countries.
The ordinary weekly working hours in Sweden are stated to equal 40 hours. However, the actual average reported weekly working hours fluctuated between 29.2 and 30.9 hours per week during the period from 2010 to 2020. In 2020, an actual working week amounted to 29.2 hours on average.
European Union
8 hours – maximum working day. 10 hours – maximum working week. 12 hours off consecutively after work.
In 1926, Henry Ford standardized on a five-day workweek, instead of the prevalent six days, without reducing employees' pay.
French Law Bans Employers From Contacting Employees With Work During Weekends.
A prominent factory owner — Henry Ford — also played a big role. Even though the federal government didn't begin to limit companies to a 40-hour workweek until 1938, Ford began to give his factory workers a two-day weekend in the early 1900s. Why did he do this? He wanted to sell the cars his workers were making.
6 Days Work Week
Countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea have a high number of average work hours per year.
The four-day work week in Australia and New Zealand is under the not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global, which is also the same organisation that organised the UK programme. The pilot, set to begin in August, will see participating organisations implement a four-day work week model without reducing the salary of staff.
Will Canada have a 4 day work week?
The four-day workweek's status in Canada
Last year, Montreal video game studio Eidos also made the switch, announcing that their offices would be closed on Fridays. Most recently, Toronto tech firm Alida announced their four-day workweek pilot program, which will kick off this summer.
1. Spain. Last year, the Spanish government has announced that it will experiment with a trial four-day work week, according to the Guardian. The Spanish government agreed to a 32-hour workweek over three years, without cutting workers' compensation.
1. Mexico. The people of Mexico work much harder than their neighbors in the U.S. Mexican workers clock in 2,148 hours per year at work. Although Mexico has labor laws that limit the workweek to 48 hours per week, it is rarely enforced because of high unemployment and low pay.
- Denmark — 25.9.
- Norway — 26.3.
- Germany — 25.6.
- Netherlands — 26.9.
- Iceland — 27.6.
- France — 27.0.
- Luxembourg — 27.4.
- Uruguay — 29.5 (2019)
In 2019, the longest working hours are reported in Romania (40.5 hours per week) and Bulgaria (40.4 hours per week). The statistics also show that in Belgium, the number of working hours for employees was 39.1 hours per week, while it was 52.8 for self-employed.