The number of people searching for jobs that offer a four-day week has surged over the past year, and almost half of jobseekers in July searched for a shorter work-week.
This is according to flexible jobs platform Flexa, which over the past 12 months has seen a 38% increase in people using its platform to look for employers offering a four-day week with no reduction in pay.
In July alone, 47% of jobseekers were searching for a four-day week, and 36% looked for roles that offered four-and-a-half days.
Four-day week jobs
Four-day week trial results show 92% will continue policy
Molly Johnson-Jones, co-founder and CEO of Flexa Careers, said: “UK workers usually get eight bank holidays a year. So, if a business can make a four-day week work, why shouldn’t they?
“Increased demand for reduced working weeks makes total sense, and plenty of employers can see this. Atom Bank, Hydrogen Group and JBM are just a few of the companies who are embracing four-day weeks. Not everyone will join them. But increased awareness of different kinds of flexibility means increased opportunities for businesses to find new ways of working that work better for them and their teams – and that can only be a good thing.”
A trial involving 61 companies in the UK, organised by the 4 Day Week Campaign, found that a four-day week saw reduced levels of burnout, anxiety, fatigue and employee turnover.
The pilot, which ran between June and December last year, and saw employees work a four-day week with no loss of pay. A similar programme is being repeated this year, with participating organisations aiming to introduce a four-day week on 6 November for the results to be monitored.
Four-day week pilots have been introduced in Spain and Portugal, and in the past trials have been run in Ireland and Iceland.
Last year Labour MP Peter Dowd introduced a private members’ bill seeking to amend the Working Time Regulations 1998 to reduce the maximum working week from 48 hours to 32 hours per week. It was due to receive a second reading in July, however this did not take place.
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