More productivity, employee well-being… and a possible solution to the labor shortage? The idea of the four-day working week is progressing – it is already being tested in some companies. European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit suggests rolling it out in sectors with "difficulties in attracting [employees]", he said in an interview with Portuguese news agency Lusa published on Thursday. May 25.
Nicolas Schmit considers that "the biggest problem [in the European Union] is not so much unemployment" but rather the shortage of labour. "Many industries are desperate for employees and can't find them because people don't want to work there or don't have the right skills," he says. “They have to become more attractive”, according to the Luxembourger, who underlines that “it is something that is gradually advancing (…) because the new generations have a certain vision of the balance between work and personal life”. He warns, however, that "there is no common position" within the EU on this issue.
This approach requires, according to Mr. Schmit, "negotiations between the social partners" and takes the example of Germany, where the largest union in the country, IG-Metall, has been advocating for several years for a generalization of the four-day week. in the metallurgical sector.
This declaration comes at a time when Portugal is to launch a pilot project around the four-day week, on a voluntary basis and without loss of income. Forty-six companies have expressed interest in implementing this reform – most with up to ten employees, five of them employing more than 1,000 people, and operating in the sectors of consulting, scientific activities and techniques, or information and communication.
In France, some companies – still largely in the minority – have adopted the four-day week, which is also being tested in certain public services, such as Urssaf or the National Pension Fund (CNAV).
