The Japanese metropolis of Tokyo is the most recent in a rising listing of governments and corporations to check out a four-day work week, and a few specialists say Canadian households additionally stand to profit from an extended weekend each week if applied in the precise method.
Tokyo’s plan, which was introduced final week and can roll out subsequent April, is geared toward boosting Japan’s record-low fertility charge — one thing that Canada can be fighting — whereas additionally giving public staff a extra versatile working association.
Canada’s fertility rate, which has been steadily declining, has plunged to a document low and the nation is now among the many “lowest-low” fertility nations.
However may polices like a four-day work week assist encourage extra individuals to have infants?
Carolynn Dubé, govt director with Fertility Issues Canada, mentioned though there isn’t knowledge backing how efficient such a measure may very well be for reinforcing a rustic’s fertility charge, it’s an “attention-grabbing” idea to discover as a part of a holistic method to household constructing.
“Nations actually need to take a look at methods to assist enhance fertility charges … as a result of the financial well being of the nation is so intimately tied to its fertility charge,” Dube mentioned.
“I feel this speaks to extra broadly and what I feel for a rustic like Canada, we are able to contemplate is basically having broader socioeconomic insurance policies in place to assist help household constructing.”
Tokyo will not be the primary native authorities to announce a four-day work week.
Up to now 12 months, Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures have already applied this coverage.
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The idea can be not new in Canada, the U.S. or Europe, the place some corporations and completely different authorities entities have already experimented with it.
The shift towards a four-day work week has been gaining momentum particularly post-pandemic, as employers around the globe grapple with labour shortages, staff demanding higher work-life steadiness, and shifting demographics as older staff retire and youthful ones have fewer youngsters.
A 2023 survey by recruitment firm Robert Half discovered 91 per cent of senior managers polled mentioned they might help a four-day work week for his or her staff, citing worker retention, productiveness and well-being.
John Trougakos, a administration professor on the College of Toronto, mentioned by wanting on the examples of various international locations and organizations which have used the four-day work week mannequin, it has proven to not solely improve productiveness but in addition result in more healthy outcomes.
“It’s proving to be an effective way to assist staff steadiness their work with their private life and it helps them scale back burnout and stress and enhance their well-being,” Trougakos.
“After we do present individuals … with extra private time, they will dedicate that point to having higher work-life steadiness, having extra time to place in direction of their household, so that may’t harm.”
Phillip Lipscy, director of the Centre for the Examine of International Japan and a political science professor on the College of Toronto, mentioned typically talking, work-life steadiness is a useful coverage measure to attempt to improve fertility charges, however lots additionally will depend on the implementation of such a plan and different measures that decide up the slack.
Within the case of Tokyo, to ensure that publics servants to take that fifth day of the week off, they must lengthen their common working hours over 4 days and that “isn’t essentially going that can assist you with elevating your youngsters,” mentioned Lipscy.
Compressing 40 hours of labor in 4 days could make some staff extra drained and fewer productive, Trougakos mentioned.
As an alternative, employers ought to take a look at a significant discount in time labored that enables staff to get well from the calls for of their job and to spend time with their household, he mentioned, including that there’s not a “one-size-fits-all for everyone.”
“The factor to remember for any group that’s on this, is doing it in a method that finest meets their enterprise targets.”
Why is Canada’s fertility charge dropping?
Canada’s public service will not be amongst these employers exploring a wide-scale four-day work mannequin, mentioned Rola Salem, a spokesperson for Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
“The federal public service provides aggressive salaries, working situations and advantages that help households, corresponding to parental go away, go away with pay for family-related tasks, well being, dental and incapacity advantages (together with protection for prescription fertility medicine), an outlined contribution pension plan, and versatile work preparations the place doable,” Salem mentioned in an emailed assertion to International Information.
“Eligible indeterminate and time period staff within the core public administration even have entry to numerous choices for versatile work hours.”
In keeping with Statistics Canada report released in September, the Canadian fertility charge in 2023 was 1.26 youngsters per lady, which is the bottom recorded stage for the reason that company started gathering knowledge.
A StatCan report published in January mentioned Canada, like different international locations, is driving the “fertility ‘pandemic rollercoaster’” with extra households laying aside having youngsters.
“Given the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a interval of public well being disaster, in addition to financial and societal shocks, it’s doable {that a} phase of the inhabitants responded to this era of widespread uncertainty through their childbearing decisions,” it reads.
Specialists additionally level to extended financial uncertainty, the excessive price of dwelling, housing challenges, way of life adjustments and prioritization of careers for the drop in births.
“Actually the decline is multi-layered. We are able to’t blame all of it on girls are ready longer,” Dubé mentioned.
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