Spain considering introducing a four-day week to boost job creation 

Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias

Credit: Ballesteros/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Spain’s Left-wing government is considering introducing a four-day working week without any loss of pay for workers.

Pablo Iglesias, the deputy prime minister, said a 32-hour week could create more jobs as Spain currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union at 16.2 per cent.

Mr Iglesias, the leader of the far-Left Unidas Podemos party, the junior partner in Spain’s minority ruling coalition, said: “We have always been in favour of reducing working hours.

“The proposal is interesting and I know that the ministry of labour is studying it and within the framework of social dialogue it will be explored because it would undoubtedly favour job generation.”

He said the measure was being considered as the final details were discussed for the 2021 budget but it will depend on the agreement of the Socialists, the senior partner in the coalition.

Experts were divided over how practical a shorter week would be in Spain.

Nuria Chinchilla, an expert in labour and family conciliation, said companies being more flexible would be more helpful for job creation than introducing a shorter week.

“What would be more useful is if the companies, if they can, have flexible hours depending on their needs. Reducing the working week to four days could work against conciliation,” she told 20minutos.es, an online newspaper.

However, Juan Pedro Sánchez, an expert in improving business productivity, backed cutting the work week and said it would not harm workers’ performance.

“Undoubtedly, to have one more day free will allow us time to dedicate to our personal and family life. We should not forget that work and rest are two sides of the same coin: productivity,” he said.

Some other companies have already introduced four day weeks which have proved to have increased worker productivity.

Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand law company, cut hours so its workers could work four days on the same pay.

A study found 78 per cent of the firm’s employees managed the change in working life which meant they had a three day weekend.

A survey by 20minutos.es published on Friday found that 72.7 per cent of 39,000 people polled favoured a shorter working week, while 24.6 per cent were against and 3.21 per cent did not have an opinion.