Implementing a four-day workweek requires comprehensive measures and social consensus, as it would significantly impact employers and employees, the national economy and students’ right to education, the Ministry of Labor said.
The ministry was responding to a written inquiry on the matter by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤).
Only 41 percent of employees in Taiwan feel they are thriving, compared with 60 to 70 percent in other countries including Poland, Denmark and Iceland, according to this year’s “State of the Workplace” report published by the US analytics company Gallup in June, Lee said.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s workplace happiness index is the lowest in five years at 57 points, with employees on average working 10 hours a day and 64 percent feeling overworked, according to surveys conducted by domestic job banks in April, he said.
In 2022, countries such as the UK, Sweden, Japan, the US, New Zealand, Iceland and Belgium started implementing four-day workweeks and reducing working hours without pay cuts, Lee said.
These trials showed improvements in labor efficiency and the mental and physical health of employees, with a 65-percent decrease in sick leave and slight growth or no decline in corporate revenue, he said.
Japan has included a four-day work week in its official recommendations and 90 percent of UK companies participating in the trials plan to continue the policy, he added.
Taiwan should follow other countries by beginning research and planning to reduce working hours, and should propose a concrete timeline for workplace pilot programs, Lee said.
According to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), Taiwan’s regular weekly working hours may not exceed 40 hours and employees have the right to two days off per week, like most other countries, the Ministry of Labor said.
The act allows for concentrated working hours to reduce the number of workdays, which is practiced in the manufacturing and service industries, the ministry said.
Shortening the workweek not only involves amending relevant regulations, but significantly impacts employers and employees, the national economy, transportation, healthcare, public safety, national defense and education, the ministry said.
As such, comprehensive planning and social consensus are needed before moving forward, it said.
Government agencies must ensure the quality of public services, which would be affected by a shortened workweek, according to an evaluation by the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration.
More comprehensive results on the effects of shortened workweek trials in other countries is necessary before making a decision, the agency said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei City Reserve Command yesterday initiated its first-ever 14-day recall of some of the city’s civilian service reservists, who are to undergo additional training on top of refresher courses. The command said that it rented sites in Neihu District (內湖), including the Taipei Tennis Center, for the duration of the camp to optimize tactical positioning and accommodate the size of the battalion of reservists. A battalion is made up of four companies of more than 200 reservists each, it said. Aside from shooting drills at a range in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), the remainder of the training would be at
RSS