From Singapore to Hong Kong and Japan, is a 4-day work week a pipe dream for Asia?

Asian governments and companies have been slower, compared to their Western counterparts, in advocating for a healthy work-life balance

But activists say while workers need to be working less, the region is far from ready to pursue such a concept and that employers may even pile on more demands into a shorter work week

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Asia is notorious for having some of the world’s longest working hours. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:00am, 30 Jul 2022Updated: 11:07am, 30 Jul 2022

New World Development, one of Hong Kong’s largest employers, recently introduced a four-and-a-half day work week to support workers to “maintain a healthy work-life balance”, making it the first major property developer in the city to reduce working hours without cutting pay.

South Korean tech firm Kakao, which has more than 10,000 employees, is planning a pilot programme for flexible and shorter working hours, while in Japan, Hitachi has introduced a system for some 15,000 workers to organise their schedules into a four-day work week.

These are just some recent workplace initiatives being rolled out across Asia, as more companies worldwide seek to improve their employees’ wellbeing and relook what productivity means in the modern workplace.

Office workers walk out for a lunch break at the financial business district in Singapore. Photo: AFP

But in a region notorious for working the longest hours in the world, some critics say such schemes are not likely to reap their intended benefits without governments and employers first addressing the factors behind such an entrenched work culture, and enacting more labour protection.

Anis Hidayah, head of Migrant Care, an Indonesian NGO promoting the rights of migrant workers, said the benefits of a four-day work week depended very much on its implementation and whether workers were expected to achieve the same output in less time.

“How this will affect workers and whether it will increase or decrease productivity is very important,” she said, adding that while the idea was good in practice, it may be difficult to roll out across all forms of employment.

“Across many sectors, workers already work more than eight hours per day, especially in Southeast Asia in countries like Malaysia and Singapore,” she noted. “Perhaps in sectors such as in factories, a four-day work week will be feasible, but I’m not sure about other [roles] such as domestic workers.”