SINGAPORE – Bosses here are overwhelmingly against implementing a four-day working week, according to a new survey.
It found that only 5 per cent out of the 330 employers polled said they would instigate a four-day week, noting that it would improve employee well-being and job satisfaction.
But around 80 per cent said they would not implement a four-day working week, while 16 per cent said they would consider doing so.
“A small handful of employers, mainly from the information and communications, general and support services, and finance industries had respectively indicated that they will do so,” said a spokesperson for the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), which commissioned the survey.
The federation said a four-day working week involves employees working eight or nine hours a day – up to 36 hours a week – while receiving the same compensation as for a typical five-day working week, which usually entails staff working up to 44 hours.
SNEF’s survey comes after a recent poll involving about 100 Singapore firms by recruitment firm Robert Walters found that nearly 70 per cent of employers in Singapore think the four-day working week is a feasible concept.
A SNEF spokesperson said its survey reflected a broad cross section of the workforce, with participating employers coming from a diverse array of industries, including retail, real estate and building services, professional services, food and beverage, general manufacturing, electronics, and transport and logistics.
“Out of 330 employers polled, 78 per cent were from non-manufacturing sectors, while 22 per cent from manufacturing,” said the spokesperson.
Employers who were not keen on a four-day working week cited concerns about the operational feasibility and implications that may not align with their business needs, such as running a 24-hour operation.
Other reasons included being unable to increase productivity to