[Jeong Jun-sung's Yeomindongrak (358)] The 4.5-Day Work Week

Belgium was the first European country to introduce a four-day work week in 2022.

Ireland subsequently began pilot operations of the four-day week in the private sector.

Spain introduced a four-day work week pilot program for small and medium-sized enterprises the same year.

Since then, selective implementation of the four-day week has gradually expanded to the United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Japan, and other nations.

However, the United States and Japan still maintain the five-day work week as the norm.

Particularly in the United States, this is even more pronounced. This is because individual autonomy in labor decisions is highly valued.

Many U.S. states guarantee individuals' "Right to Work" in their labor laws.

While there is no upper limit, working more than 40 hours and working on Saturdays or public holidays are matters of free choice for workers, and employers respect this.

The reason countries worldwide establish legal working hours to protect workers is self-evident.

It is to ensure the health and safety of laborers.

Long working hours threaten workers' health and safety.

Korea also established the Labor Standards Act in 1953, setting the legal working hours at 8 hours per day (48 hours per week) and 6 days of work per week.

Including overtime, the maximum working hours per week were 72 hours.

In 1989, working hours were reduced to 44 hours per week.

Following the phased implementation of the five-day work week starting in 2004, the 40-hour work week was formally introduced from 2018 onwards.

Nevertheless, Korea's working conditions still lag behind other OECD member countries.

The stigma of being a "long working hours" nation persists.

Last year, South Korean workers' average annual working hours were 1,833 hours, the sixth longest among major OECD member countries.

Only five countries—Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Greece, and Israel—have longer average annual working hours than Korea.

Compared to the OECD average of 1,736 working hours annually, this is a full 97 hours more.

Workers here put in over 501 more hours annually compared to Germany, which has the shortest working hours.

It approaches an "overwork society" where workers labor approximately two extra months (63 days) per year.

Timely with this situation, the government has adopted and is implementing a state task to reduce working hours to OECD levels within the next five years.

Recently, it also launched a task force to promote an actual working hours reduction roadmap.

Prior to this, Gyeonggi Province has been piloting a 4.5-day work week without wage cuts since last year.

However, not everyone can simultaneously shift to a 4.5-day work week.

This is because some occupations, such as semiconductor research and development, require intensive labor.

The issue of reducing working hours is an important one that determines the quality of life for the entire nation, including workers.

On the other hand, it is directly connected to the efficiency of business activities that drive productivity in Korean society.

Depending on the form in which the system is implemented, it will inevitably have strong ripple effects across society.

While the 4.5-day work week is undoubtedly the direction we must head, "social consensus" is absolutely necessary.