Economists evaluate the four-day week – These are the opportunities, risks and consequences

2023-08-13 14:10:23

IG Metall-Demo

IG Metall demands a four-day week for steelworkers in North Rhine-Westphalia.

(Photo: dpa)

Berlin What do the Allgäu bakery Härle, the VW battery division Powerco, the German Red Cross (DRK) in Saxony-Anhalt and the Holstein town of Wedel have in common? As employers, they offer their employees the opportunity to complete their workload in four days instead of five.

Ever since IG Metall announced that it would be taking part in the North Rhine-Westphalian steel wage negotiations with its demand for a four-day week, and the train drivers’ union GDL has been drumming for fewer hours per week, the debate about new working time models hasn’t stopped.

Work from Monday to Thursday and then have three days off – for many, that is wishful thinking. In reality, three out of four employees work a five-day week.

Read on now

Get access to this and every other article in the

Web and in our app free of charge for 4 weeks.

Further

Read on now

Get access to this and every other article in the

web and in our app.

Further