Tokyo government to introduce four-day work week for its employees

The Tokyo government plans to introduce a four-day work week for its employees in a bid to support young families and boost record fertility rates nationwide.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that starting in April, metropolitan government employees will have the opportunity to take three days off per week.

“We will review working styles…with flexibility, ensuring that no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,” he said. she said in a political speech delivered at the fourth regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

The new policy aims to encourage Japanese couples to have children at a time when the country’s fertility rate is at an all-time high. Last year, that figure fell to just 1.2 expected children per woman in her lifetime, despite increased government efforts to motivate young people to start families, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. social protection. This number should be at least 2.1 for a population to remain stable.

Koike announced an additional policy allowing parents whose children attend primary schools to exchange part of their salary for the opportunity to get out early.

“Now is the time for Tokyo to take the lead in protecting and improving the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these difficult times for the nation,” she said.

Only 727,277 births were recorded in Japan last year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This may be partly due to the culture of extra work in Japan, which often pushes women to choose between having a career or having a family. The country’s gender gap in labor force participation is higher than in other high-income countries, at 55% for women and 72% for men last year, according to the World Bank.

However, implementing a four-day work week could give civil servants more time to spend raising their families.

In a 2022 series of global tests Coordinated by 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit organization, various companies participated in a four-day workweek pilot program.

More than 9 out of 10 employees who participated in the trials want to maintain the four-day working week. They said it gave them better physical and mental health, a better work-life balance, and greater overall life satisfaction. Measures of their stress, burnout, fatigue, and work-family conflict all decreased. These participants rated their experience 9.1 out of 10.

Another Asian country tested the shortened work week this year.

Singapore presented new guidelines require all businesses to accommodate employee requests for flexible work arrangements, including four-day work weeks or staggered hours.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com