Tokyo introduces 4-day work week to increase family time amid record fertility rate

Last update:December 10, 2024, 11:25 AM IST

Tokyo also introduced a new policy that allows parents of primary school students to exchange part of their salary for the opportunity to leave work early.

In a bid to avoid the unwanted title of “world’s oldest population”, the Tokyo government has decided to introduce a four-day working week for its employees. The plan attempts to encourage couples to spend quality time amid record fertility rates nationwide.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that starting April 2025, metropolitan government employees will have the opportunity to take three days off per week. NBC News.

“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,” 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, as the country’s fertility rate hits a historic low. Last year, that rate fell to just 1.2 children per woman in her lifetime, despite government efforts to motivate young people to start families, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. social. A fertility rate of at least 2.1 is necessary to maintain a stable population.

Additionally, Koike introduced a new policy that allows parents of primary school students to exchange part of their salary for the opportunity to leave work 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.

Record fertility rate

With Japan’s fertility rate at a record high, only 727,277 births were recorded last year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This decline can be partly attributed to Japan’s culture of extra work, which often forces women to choose between career and family. The gender gap in labor force participation is also more pronounced than in other high-income countries, with 55% of women participating compared to 72% of men, as reported by the World Bank.

However, the introduction of a four-day working week could give civil servants more time to focus on raising their families.

As part of a series of global trials coordinated in 2022 by 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organization, various companies participated in a four-day workweek pilot. More than 90% of employees wanted to continue the shortened work week, reporting improved physical and mental health, better work-life balance, and greater life satisfaction. Measures of stress, burnout, fatigue and work-family conflict all decreased, with participants rating the program 9.1 out of 10.

This year, another Asian country, Singapore, tested a shortened work week. New guidelines require companies to consider employee requests for flexible work arrangements, including four-day work weeks or staggered schedules.