Jeong Jun-sung's Yeomindongnak (358) A 4.5-Day Work Week

The first European country to introduce a four-day work week was Belgium in 2022.

Ireland subsequently began a pilot program for a four-day week in the private sector.

Spain introduced a four-day work week pilot program targeting small and medium-sized enterprises that same year.

Since then, selective implementation of the four-day week has gradually expanded to the United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Japan, and other countries.

However, the United States and Japan still predominantly maintain a five-day work week.

This is particularly true for the United States. This is because the country prioritizes individuals' right to self-determination regarding labor.

Many U.S. states guarantee individuals' 'Right to Work' in their labor laws.

While there is no upper limit, working more than 40 hours and working on Saturdays or public holidays are matters of free choice for workers, and employers respect this.

The reason countries worldwide establish working hours by law to protect workers is clear.

It is to ensure the health and safety of workers.

Long working hours threaten workers' health and safety.

When Korea enacted the Labor Standards Act in 1953, it set the statutory working hours at eight hours per day (48 hours per week) and six-day work weeks.

Including overtime, the maximum working hours per week were 72 hours.

In 1989, working hours were reduced to 44 hours per week.

After phased implementation of the five-day work week starting in 2004, the 40-hour work week was formally introduced beginning in 2018.

Despite this, Korea's labor conditions still lag behind those of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries.

The country has not escaped the stigma of being a "long working hours" nation.

Last year, the average annual working hours for domestic workers was 1,833 hours, the sixth longest among major OECD member countries.

Only five countries have longer average annual working hours than Korea: Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Greece, and Israel.

Compared to the OECD average of 1,736 working hours, Korea works a full 97 hours more.

Koreans work over 501 more hours annually than Germany, the country with the shortest working hours.

This is close to an "overwork society" where people work roughly two more months (63 days) per year.

Notably, the government has adopted a state agenda to reduce working hours to OECD levels within the next five years and is proceeding with implementation.

Recently, it also launched a task force to promote a roadmap for reducing actual working hours.

Prior to this, Gyeonggi Province has been conducting a pilot program of a 4.5-day work week without salary cuts since last year.

However, not everyone can start the 4.5-day work week simultaneously.

This is because there are occupations that require intensive labor, such as semiconductor research and development.

The issue of reducing working hours is an important matter that determines the quality of life for the entire population, including workers.

On the other hand, it is also an issue directly linked to the efficiency of corporate activities that determine productivity in Korean society.

Depending on the form in which the system is implemented, it will inevitably have strong ripple effects throughout society.

The 4.5-day work week is undoubtedly the direction Korea must take, but 'social consensus' must necessarily be achieved first.