Nearly 11% of the workforce now report doing four days across full- and part-time work, analysis finds…reports Asian Lite News
More than 200,000 additional workers in the UK have switched to a full-time four-day week since the pandemic, according to new analysis, signalling a growing shift in working culture that campaigners argue could reshape the future of employment.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that nearly 1.4 million people reported working a full-time four-day week between October and December 2024. This marks an increase of more than 200,000 compared with the same period in 2019, when 1.29 million people said they were working such a schedule.
A further 200,000 people said they were working part-time across four days, bringing the total number of people in the UK on a four-day week to 2.7 million. The proportion of the workforce on this model has risen from 9.8 per cent in late 2019 to 10.9 per cent by the end of 2024.
The figures do not specify whether employees have compressed their hours into four days or have accepted a pay reduction in exchange for shorter weeks. Nevertheless, campaigners say the trend represents a significant cultural shift accelerated by the upheaval of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 4 Day Week Foundation, which campaigns for a nationwide move towards shorter working hours without a loss of pay, has reported that more than 420 companies, employing over 12,000 workers, have already made the switch since 2020. These businesses have either joined the foundation’s accreditation scheme or publicly committed to shorter weeks.
The foundation argues that a 32-hour, four-day week should become the new standard across Britain. Proponents claim the change improves mental health, boosts productivity, and helps firms attract and retain staff.
Sam Hunt, the foundation’s business network coordinator, said the traditional working model was no longer fit for purpose. “The nine-to-five, five-day week is a century-old model that no longer fits the way we live and work today. We’re long overdue an update,” he said. “A four-day week with no loss of pay is about freedom – the freedom to live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.”
The pandemic rapidly altered working practices for millions of employees, with hybrid work arrangements becoming normal for more than a quarter of adults in Great Britain, according to ONS data. Remote working, once resisted by many employers, became widespread as lockdowns forced staff out of offices.
Yet the move towards fewer days at work has been more contested. Some employees have faced pushback from firms keen to restore traditional office hours, while others have found themselves balancing productivity expectations with reduced time in the workplace.
Among the most high-profile adopters is South Cambridgeshire district council, which voted last month to permanently introduce a four-day week, making it the first local authority in the UK to do so. Around 700 staff members are eligible to opt into the scheme, which requires them to complete 100 per cent of their workload in roughly 80 per cent of their contracted hours, without any reduction in pay.
The decision followed a 27-month trial, during which the council said it achieved improvements in planning applications, housing repairs and benefits processing. It also reported higher staff motivation, reduced turnover, and annual savings of nearly £400,000 by filling vacancies permanently rather than relying on costly agency workers.
Other councils are understood to be trialling similar schemes, though the policy has not been without controversy. The former Conservative government issued guidance opposing four-day working weeks in local authorities, arguing they did not provide value for money for taxpayers.
However, the Labour government withdrew this guidance in November, affirming that councils are “independent employers” responsible for managing their own workforces. Several senior Labour figures, including deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, have expressed support for shorter weeks, though the party has not adopted the policy as a national commitment.
Scotland has already launched a government-backed pilot, beginning in early 2024, to test the four-day week in two public sector bodies. Results from the year-long trial are expected soon, and could inform wider adoption across the devolved administration.
Research by the 4 Day Week Foundation suggests that marketing firms, technology companies and charities have been among the earliest sectors to embrace the shorter week. Many argue that knowledge-based industries are best suited to the model, where productivity is easier to maintain despite reduced hours.
While the debate continues over whether compressed schedules or reduced hours deliver the best outcomes, advocates insist the trend is unlikely to reverse. They argue that younger generations in particular are seeking a better work-life balance and will increasingly favour employers who can offer greater flexibility.
The four-day week movement is the latest chapter in a broader workplace transformation accelerated by the pandemic. Hybrid and remote working models are now firmly embedded in many organisations, while staff in a range of sectors continue to push back against mandatory office returns.
For workers who have already made the switch, the benefits appear tangible: more time with family, lower stress levels, and the potential for improved productivity. For employers, the prospect of reduced staff turnover, easier recruitment and higher motivation offers a powerful incentive to continue experimenting.
Whether the four-day week will become the national norm remains uncertain. But with growing numbers of companies, councils and campaigners pushing for change, the traditional nine-to-five, five-day model may increasingly look like a relic of the past.
