An interesting development in Japan: The government of Tokyo is giving all municipal employees an extra day off each week.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/06/asia/tokyo-government-4-day-workweek-intl-hnk/index.htmlThe Japanese capital is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees, in its latest push to help working mothers and boost record-low fertility rates.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says the new arrangement, which begins in April, could give employees three days off every week. It separately announced another policy that will allow parents with children in grades one to three in elementary schools to trade off a bit of their salary for the option to clock out early.
They're not doing this out of benevolence, but because Japan's birthrate is well below replacement. They're hoping that more free time will encourage people to have more kids:
The Japanese government has been pushing for a raft of “now or never” policies to reverse the population crisis, including ensuring men to take paternity leaves, while other local governments have also introduced measures to improve work conditions.
Many sociologists attribute the ever-plunging birth rates to Japan’s unforgiving work culture and rising costs of living. Grueling hours have long been a problem for corporate Japan where workers often suffer from health hazards and, in extreme cases, “karoshi,” a term meaning death by over work.
Even so, it's good to see. If it works, it'll be the biggest and most persuasive demonstration so far that an advanced, industrialized economy can give people more leisure time without compromising anyone's standard of living.
