There are many countries that have considered or have studied the model of four day work week. Some would implement it with the objective of ensuring the well-being of their workers and others have a more peculiar reason.
Japan is currently suffering from great birth and fertility crisis which seriously affects the country, which has achieved historical minimum birth rates on 16 consecutive occasions. The average number of children per woman in 2023 was 1.2, almost one point less than the 2.1 stipulated to maintain a stable population balance.
For these reasons, the Japanese government has offered workers in the city of Tokyo a four-day work week will start in April 2025 so that families who request it can face this population problem.
For her part, Yuriko Koike, Tokyo governor, believes that “it’s time for Tokyo to take the lead in protecting and improving people’s lives, livelihoods and economies in these challenging times,” according to The New York Post. Therefore, offers flexibility employees to combine their lives with caring for their children.
Between 2012 and 2022, the Japanese city recorded 15% fewer birthssomething that has generated an older population. Some experts believe that this could be related to the work rhythm of citizens, who are sometimes forced to choose between working or being parents because they do not have time for both.
Another data that draws attention in Japan is the difference in labor participation between women and men. just un 55% of women were workers in 2022, while men accounted for 72%, according to the World Bank.
This reduction could improve both the employee well-being as the productivity of the company, according to some studies. For this reason, Tokyo is hopeful about this new working day that could challenge the birth rate crisis.
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