South Korea, home to some of the world’s longest work hours, is officially testing a four-day workweek. But this isn’t just about burnout—officials are also hoping it might help with one of the country’s biggest problems: a plummeting birth rate.
South Korea currently holds the lowest fertility rate in the world at just 0.72 children per woman, a statistic that has the government scrambling for solutions. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok put it bluntly: “We need to make sure to keep the spark alive… by quickly filling in the blind spots of low-birth policies.” In other words, fewer late nights at the office, more date nights.
So now, the country is taking a different approach. In Gyeonggi province, employees from 50 organizations have been invited to try either a four-day workweek every other week or reduced work hours overall. The goal is to boost productivity, curb burnout and—if all goes according to plan—give couples more time together, potentially reversing the nation’s declining population.
Many South Korean workers, especially women, have expressed they have felt forced to choose between career and family. The government is betting that more personal time might lead to, well, more people.
This experiment is part of a larger global movement to rethink the traditional five-day grind. Countries like Iceland and Belgium have already seen success with similar policies, and plenty of workers in the U.S. wouldn’t mind a little less hustle and a little more rest.
Will the South Korean government expand the policy nationwide? Will other countries take note? And, most importantly, will our bosses read an article like this and have an epiphany? (Share it and find out.)
