4 Day Work Week: Countries, Pros, Cons & 2026 Ireland Law

Countries with national four-day work week trials: Over 30 countries have run or are running pilots (e.g., Belgium, Iceland, UK, Spain) (Remote (employment platform)) ·
Productivity change in UK pilot (2022–2023): Revenue remained stable or improved for 92% of participating companies ·
Employee satisfaction increase in global trials: 78% of employees reported higher job satisfaction ·
Iceland’s successful trial (2015–2019): Covered 2,500+ workers, resulted in flat or increased productivity

The following table summarizes key data points across countries.

What countries have a four-day work week?

Which countries are currently trialing a four-day work week?

At least 30 countries have run or announced trials. The most documented include Iceland, Belgium, the UK, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, and Ireland. Each has different rules: some reduce actual hours, others compress the same hours into fewer days.

Iceland’s trial (2015–2019) remains the largest per capita. It covered 2,500 workers across municipal and government offices. Productivity either held steady or increased, according to UK Research and Innovation (UK public research body). The model used a 35- to 36-hour week with no pay cut.

Belgium became the first European country to legally entrench the right to a four-day week in November 2022. Workers can compress their hours into four days while keeping the same salary. The law applies to both private and public employees.

Which country has the shortest work week in the world?

The title of shortest work week by law belongs to Vanuatu at 32 hours per week under collective agreements. Among developed economies, the Netherlands has the lowest average actual hours worked per week (around 30.4), but that’s a national average, not a policy. Iceland’s trial brought many workers to a 35-hour week, but there is no national statutory limit. Belgium’s compressed model still totals 35–38 hours. So “shortest” depends on whether you mean statutory maximum, average hours actually worked, or trial results.

Will Ireland introduce a four-day work week?

What is the new employment law in Ireland 2026?

Ireland is currently debating a bill that could require employers to consider four-day week requests. No law has passed yet. A pilot program coordinated by 4 Day Week Ireland ran from June to December 2022 with 35 companies (Remote (employment platform)). Early reports noted improved employee engagement, reduced sick days, and in some firms, higher productivity. The Irish government’s Department of Enterprise is reviewing the data.

Many companies in Ireland already offer a four-day week voluntarily. These include tech firms like Zartis and financial services company ICE. The public sector has not adopted it widely, though some local councils have run small trials.

Does the Irish public sector have a 4 day work week?

Not as a general policy. Some local authorities have tested compressed schedules, but no national public sector mandate exists. The 2024–2025 pilot included only private-sector volunteers. The government has signaled openness to a broader rollout if the pilot succeeds (RTE (Irish public broadcaster)).

Is the UK going to a four-day work week?

What did the UK four-day week trial show?

The UK ran the most ambitious pilot outside Iceland from June to December 2022. Sixty-one companies with about 2,900 workers participated. The results were striking: 92% of firms chose to continue the policy after the trial, and 18 made it permanent (World Economic Forum (global policy forum)).

Employees reported a 65% reduction in sick days and a 71% drop in burnout levels. Revenue stayed broadly the same or improved for most businesses, per UK Research and Innovation (UK public research body). The UK government has not announced plans for a national policy, though the Labour Party has expressed interest in exploring the idea.

The British Business Bank (UK state-owned development bank) acknowledges that a four-day week can help attract talent and retain staff, but warns that compressing a full 37.5-hour week into four days can increase fatigue and reduce productivity. The pattern is clear: when total hours drop, benefits appear; when hours are compressed, risks emerge.

What are the disadvantages of a 4 day work week?

How does a four-day week affect salary and workload?

A key trade-off is whether the four-day week comes with a pay cut. Most high-profile trials and company policies keep full pay while cutting hours. But when hours are compressed rather than reduced, workers often report higher stress and fatigue. The British Business Bank notes that “compressing five days into four can negatively affect employee wellbeing and productivity.”

What are the pros and cons of a four-day work week?

Beyond salary compression, not all industries can easily adopt four-day schedules. Healthcare, retail, hospitality, and emergency services require continuous coverage. For those sectors, a four-day week might mean longer shifts or more part-time workers, which can create scheduling complexity).

On the other hand, the benefits are well documented: higher employee satisfaction, lower turnover, reduced absenteeism, and in many cases, maintained or improved productivity. The World Economic Forum reports that 71% of UK trial employees had lower burnout.

What jobs will no longer exist in 2030?

Which industries are most affected by automation?

While not directly caused by the four-day week, automation is reshaping the labor market and freeing up time for shorter workweeks. Roles centered on routine tasks — data entry, cashier, telemarketing, certain administrative positions — are projected to decline sharply by 2030, according to World Economic Forum (global policy forum). But many of these jobs will shift rather than vanish entirely, as new roles in AI management and green energy emerge. For those exploring immediate opportunities, check out jobs near me hiring immediately.

The link to the four-day week is indirect but real: as automation reduces the need for human labor in some sectors, policymakers and employers may see a shorter workweek as a way to distribute remaining work more evenly. Iceland’s trial showed that automation in municipal services allowed workers to transition to higher-value tasks while maintaining shorter hours (UK Research and Innovation (UK public research body)).

Three countries, three different approaches — one pattern: results depend heavily on design.

Timeline of key moments

• 2015–2019: Iceland runs largest four-day week trial, covering 2,500 workers (UK Research and Innovation).
• 2021: Japan’s government recommends four-day work week option (Remote (employment platform)).
• November 2022: Belgium grants workers right to a four-day week with same pay (Remote (employment platform)).
• 2022–2023: UK four-day week pilot with 61 companies, 2,900 workers (World Economic Forum (global policy forum)).
• 2024–2025: Ireland’s pilot program with 35 companies (RTE (Irish public broadcaster)).
• 2026: Potential new employment law in Ireland under discussion (RTE (Irish public broadcaster)).

“The results of the UK trial were clear: employees reported improved mental and physical health, lower anxiety, and better work-life balance. Productivity didn’t suffer — in many cases it improved.”

— Juliet Schor, PhD, Boston College, lead researcher for the UK four-day week trial (World Economic Forum (global policy forum))

“Ireland’s pilot showed that a four-day week can improve employee engagement and reduce sick days, but we need to look carefully at how this works for smaller firms and sectors with irregular hours.”

— Dr. Orlaigh Quinn, Irish Department of Enterprise (RTE (Irish public broadcaster))

For employees in Ireland and the UK, the four-day week is no longer a fringe idea — it’s a tested model with real data. The evidence shows that reducing total hours boosts wellbeing without hurting output, but compressing hours carries risks. For Irish workers, the 2026 law could bring the first statutory recognition of the right to request a shorter week. For British employees, the choice remains voluntary, but the pilot’s success makes adoption easier for companies that want to try. The choice is clear: adopt genuine hour reduction, or risk the pitfalls of compression.

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For a more detailed breakdown of global trials and outcomes, check out this guide to the four-day work week from UK Vantage.

Frequently asked questions

Overall, the evidence points to a clear verdict: when hours are genuinely reduced, both workers and businesses win. The catch is that compressed schedules require careful implementation to avoid fatigue.