Wales should make "serious moves" towards introducing a four-day working week to boost productivity, wellbeing and the economy, according to a Welsh Senedd Committee.
The committee was responding to a call for a four-day working week from by social entrepreneur Mark Hooper from Barry, who submitted a petition to the Senedd. The Petitions Committee looked at the idea in more detail and have recommended that the Welsh Government conducts pilots within the devolved public sector to reduce working hours with no loss of earnings for employees.
Wales has some of the longest working hours in Europe. Meanwhile, countries such as Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand and Japan are already making serious moves towards trialling or introducing new working patterns. The Welsh pilot should work with trials already held in the private sector and be impartially assessed to measure the economic, social and environmental impacts, the committee said
