95% of Singapore employers will not implement a 4-day work week, SNEF survey finds

According to a survey conducted by the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF), nearly 95 per cent of employers in Singapore will not implement the four-day working week in their organisations.

The survey, conducted from September 30 to October 7, received responses from 330 employers to gauge their openness to adopting a four-day workweek.

In its survey, SNEF defined the four-day workweek as a program in which employees work up to a total of 36 hours four days a week, instead of working up to 44 hours over the usual five days, and continue to receive the same salary. We work for five days.

Among those opposed, 260 employers (79 percent) said they would not implement a four-day workweek, while the remaining 16 percent said they did not implement it but would consider this option.

SNEF said in a statement on Friday, November 1, that employers are hesitant to implement a four-day working week because business operations must last 24 hours.

Other reasons included the inability to increase productivity to compensate for the reduction in manpower and incurring higher costs.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 8.30

Asian Business

Business insights focusing on the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia.

SNEF chief executive Sim Gim Guan said: “These results reflect the realities faced by many employers in today’s tight labor market and competitive business environment.”

Only 18 percent of respondents said they would implement a four-day workweek. Their reasons for doing this included, among others, improving the well-being of their employees.

Sim added: “While a small proportion of employers are in favor of implementing a four-day working week within their organisations, the operational feasibility and economic implications make this a challenging proposition to meet business needs.”

In the manufacturing sector, 84 percent of those surveyed said they would not implement a four-day work week. The remaining 16 percent will not implement this but will consider the option.

In the non-manufacturing segment, only 7 percent of 330 respondents said they would implement it. While the rest said they would not implement it, some said they would consider it.