Much has been said about the merits of a five-day working week. Although Hong Kong proclaims itself Asia's world city, it is a shameful fact of life that a sizeable proportion of the working population still works more than five days a week - unlike in other developed economies.
With moves to introduce a five-day week for tens of thousands of civil servants, many people think the government has at long last become attuned to the knowledge-based economy.
Political parties can hardly dispute the development, as it falls in line with the principle of striking a better work-life balance.
The plan was approved by the Executive Council this month. Big businesses such as banks have followed suit.
At first glance, it seems like a rare case of 'government leads, market follows', although the opposite is true. Many companies adopted a five-day week long ago.
Under the first stage of a three-phase scheme that will be completed in a year, about 73,000 civil servants will switch to a five-day week from July 1.