Four days a week? Europe debates shorter working times

In 2024, legislative changes were made to align Denmark’s Working Time Act (Arbejdstidsloven) with the EU’s Working Time Directive and a recent EU Court of Justice ruling. Effective 1 July 2024, all employers, regardless of size or sector, are required to implement a system to register employees’ daily working hours. The objective is to ensure compliance with rules on maximum weekly working time and rest periods. The registration system must be objective, reliable and accessible but employers have the freedom to choose the type of system, as long as certain criteria are met. Employers already using a time registration system can continue to do so, provided employees have access to their recorded working hours. The legislation also incorporates provisions allowing deviations from the 48-hour weekly limit under specific conditions. Employers and employees can agree to work beyond this limit using individual agreements, provided the opt-out is authorised under a collective bargaining agreement. Key sectors, such as healthcare and emergency services, are allowed exemptions to address operational needs, ensuring services like hospitals and fire departments remain functional without violating rest period regulations.

In 2024, the possibility for employees in Czechia to schedule their own working hours – within the legal constraints – was extended beyond remote workers. As of 1 January 2025, the scheduling of working hours by employees has no longer been restricted to employees performing their work outside the employer’s premises (typically teleworkers) but has also been extended to cases where the employee performs work on the employer’s premises. This regime must be agreed in writing between employer and employee. Even when the employee schedules shifts independently, the length of a daily shift must not exceed 12 hours and rules for breaks and uninterrupted rest periods must be observed. The employer is still obliged to keep records of working hours.

Greek Law 5053/2023 established the conditions under which employers may require employees to work up to six days a week. This applies to private sector businesses whose activities provide continuous 24/7 operations or those facing intensified workloads. It does not apply to food service and tourism, which have separate rules. Employees are compensated with a bonus of 40% of their daily wage for the work performed on the sixth day.

In Norway, the Working Environment Act has been amended so that employment contracts must now specify whether daily and weekly working hours will vary. Contracts must also stipulate arrangements for shift changes and work beyond agreed working hours, including payment for such work.

In Belgium and France, legislation on annual leave was revised in 2024 to fully align with the EU’s Working Time Directive. Under the new Belgian rules, employees who fall ill during their annual leave can now retain those days and take them at a later date. In France, the new law allows employees to:

• accrue leave at the rate of two working days per month in the event of a non-occupational illness, up to a limit of 24 days per reference period (12 months)

• benefit from a 15-month carry-over period to use up some or all of the paid leave they have built up, if they are unable to take this leave during the permitted period for reasons of illness or accident (whether work-related or otherwise)

In Hungary, more autonomy was given to employees in deciding when to take leave in 2024. Employers are responsible for scheduling annual leave, but they must allow employees to choose the timing of at least 7 working days of their total leave, provided the employee gives at least 15 days’ notice. The remaining leave is typically scheduled by the employer, in consultation with the employee. Under the changes introduced in 2024, employees who have children can decide when to take the additional annual leave awarded to them (2 days per child and 7 days for three or more children) – but they must inform their employer at least 15 days in advance. In accordance with Article 122 of Act I/2012 on the Labour Code, employees can also decide when to take parental leave (a total of 44 days until the child reaches 3 years of age).

In September 2024, a state of natural disaster was declared following the floods caused by intense rainfall and sudden river surges in south-western Poland. Exceptional measures were introduced for employers and employees in affected areas. Employees impacted by the floods were granted an additional four days of leave on demand and up to 20 days of leave to address flood-related damage to their own or their relatives’ property, with 100% pay. While initially set to expire on 31 December 2024, there were plans to extend this entitlement until 30 June 2025 due to worsening weather conditions and the approaching winter.

In November 2024, Poland established an additional public holiday (starting in 2025, 24 December will be a public holiday) and three, instead of two, trading Sundays in December. In Poland, shops are usually closed on Sundays, but there are some exceptions before national holidays. The new law also introduces changes to retail work regulations, granting employees in the retail sector the right to have every second Sunday off in December, ensuring that retail workers will work a maximum of two Sundays during that month.

In 2024, the Spanish government proposed reducing the standard working week from 40 to 37.5 hours without cutting wages. After tripartite consultations with peak-level social partners during 2024 (Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions (CCOO), General Union of Workers (UGT), Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organisations (CEOE) and Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CEPYME)), and prolonged negotiations, the government and unions reached an agreement in December 2024. However, this agreement did not receive employers’ support due to concerns about the economic impact. In February 2025, the Council of Ministers approved the proposal and initiated the legislative process. If approved, the new law is expected to impact approximately 12 million workers. The proposal was blocked in September of 2025, with the government stating it will bring the proposal back to the table.

In Austria, working time is a contested issue. Trade unions argue that average working hours are high – 40.8 hours weekly for full-time workers, placing Austria third in the EU – while employer groups cite lower averages (37.6 hours). The Federation of Austrian Industry (VÖI) proposed increasing full-time hours to 41 per week, sparking criticism from trade unions. The Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) now advocates reducing legal working hours with full pay and additional staffing, though without specifying a target number. Meanwhile, some companies have already adopted four-day weeks with full pay. The new government programme for 2025–2028 includes support for pilot projects on new working time models, signalling potential shifts ahead.

In Denmark, while the government aims to increase working hours, many municipalities are moving in the opposite direction. Copenhagen launched a pilot programme in March 2024, allowing employees to work longer days in exchange for a four-day week. Other municipalities like Esbjerg and Kalundborg are also testing similar models. Labour researchers see this as part of a broader trend towards more flexible and balanced working arrangements.

Italy shows trade union consensus on reducing working time, but differences exist over how to implement it. CGIL supports legislation combined with collective bargaining, while the Italian Confederation of Trade Unions (CISL) prefers a decentralised bargaining approach, and UIL proposes first establishing a regulatory framework through collective agreements. There is growing momentum, but no unified path yet.

In Malta, the four-day week gained brief attention after an MEP endorsed it as a way to boost productivity and reduce stress. While it sparked debate, the government has long maintained that Malta’s labour market – dominated by low-skilled work – limits the feasibility of such a reform. Nonetheless, since 2023, public service workers can opt for compressed or extended working weeks under new ‘modern work practices’ although total hours remain unchanged.

Poland is actively exploring the feasibility of a 32-hour, four-day working week. A year-long study by the Central Institute for Labour Protection (CIOP-PIB) is assessing its impact on health and workplace safety. While supporters cite benefits like reduced burnout, concerns persist about work intensification and the risk of workers taking on second jobs, which could nullify the reform’s benefits.

In Portugal, debate continues following the national four-day working week pilot in 2023. Key concerns include safeguarding workers’ rights, improving quality of life, and maintaining productivity. Reducing working hours without reducing income remains a key objective for the trade unions, with further analysis expected on the pilot’s long-term impact.

In Slovakia, the Prime Minister introduced the idea of a four-day week at the 2024 World Economic Forum. Although no government action has followed, trade unions have expressed support, particularly for sector-specific adoption. Some financial companies have begun their own trials, with mixed results. Employers argue the reform should be voluntary and collectively negotiated, not mandated by law.

Sweden saw perhaps the most intense public debate on working time in 2024. The Swedish Municipal Workers Union (Kommunal) and other major unions are pushing for reduced hours, with Kommunal supporting a six-hour working day. The Social Democrats backed a move to legislate a 35-hour working week. However, this proposal faced strong opposition from right-wing parties and employer organisations, citing massive tax revenue and GDP losses. Even supportive unions like Unionen prefer changes through collective bargaining rather than legislation, highlighting internal divides.

Overall, EU Member States are exploring different paths towards rethinking working time. While trade unions and employees generally push for reductions or more flexibility, employers and governments often stress productivity and cost concerns. Experiments and pilot programmes –especially the four-day working week—are becoming more common, with outcomes likely to influence future national policies.

In Greece, the 2024 implementation of Law 5053/2023 on working a six-day week sparked strong debate between the government and trade unions. While the Minister of Labour emphasised that the five-day working week remains the rule – allowing work on the sixth day only in specific emergency cases – unions criticised the law for enabling businesses to exploit the exception and for not giving workers the right to refuse.

Reports revealed that many businesses, such as supermarkets and bakeries, and workers (attracted by the extra pay) tried to register for the six-day week in the ERGANI system (a digital platform used by employers to register both themselves and their employees with the social insurance service). However, many applications were rejected for not meeting the continuous operation criteria. Some firms attempted to bypass restrictions by altering activity codes. In response, the Ministry of Labour pledged to update the ERGANI system to better filter eligible applicants.

According to Eurofound’s EU PolicyWatch database, Slovenia’s Ministry of Labour began talks on introducing a permanent short-time work scheme, with a plan to introduce it in early 2025. The aim of the scheme is to let companies reduce employee hours during economic downturns, with workers working at least half their hours and receiving training for the rest. Employers would be partially reimbursed for 5 to 20 hours weekly. The goal is to prevent layoffs during temporary crises, not to bail out struggling firms. Employer groups supported the measure, calling it vital for labour market stability and urging swift adoption. This scheme was adopted in July 2025 and will be described in detail in the next working time development update.

In October 2024, Luxembourg’s Minister of Labour proposed allowing retail employees to work for up to eight hours on Sundays, up from the current four, unless already extended by a collective agreement. Trade unions opposed the move, arguing that it weakens incentives for employers to negotiate such agreements. Employers welcomed the proposal as a way to boost competitiveness. At the same time, the Minister of the Economy proposed extending retail opening hours: on weekdays from 5:00 to 22:00 and at weekends and on most public holidays (except 1 May, 25 December and 1 January) to 19:00. Employer groups praised the plan and called for full deregulation of opening hours.

The Czech unions particularly dislike the plan to reduce the period of uninterrupted rest from eight to six hours in the event of dealing with certain serious events in those jobs that affect the public interest. For the unions, the subsequent rest period would then have to be extended by the reduced number of hours. The unions, represented by the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS), point out that such a change would have a detrimental effect on the protection of employees, because they do not spend these six hours sleeping, but also on transportation, hygiene and meals. The actual rest period would in fact be even significantly shorter.