The Japanese city of Tokyo is the latest in a growing list of governments and businesses to be tested. a four-day work week, and some experts say Canadian families will also benefit from a long weekend every week if implemented the right way.
Tokyo’s plan, announced last week and which will be implemented next April, aims to strengthen Japan’s record level. fertility rates – an issue Canada is also grappling with – while providing public sector employees with more flexible working conditions.
The fertility rate in Canadawhich is in constant decline, has plunged to a record level and the country is now among the countries with “the lowest” fertility.
But could policies like the four-day workweek encourage more people to have babies?
Carolynn Dubé, executive director of Fertility Matters Canada, said that while there is no data demonstrating the effectiveness of such a measure in increasing a country’s fertility rate, it is a “interesting” concept to explore as part of a holistic approach to family formation. .
“Countries really need to think about ways to help increase fertility rates… because the economic health of the country is intimately linked to its fertility rate,” Dubé said.
“I think this speaks to a broader audience and that, for a country like Canada, we can look at putting in place broader socio-economic policies to help support starting a family.”
Tokyo is not the first local government to announce a four-day work week.
Last year, Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures already implemented this policy.
Receive weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information every Sunday.
The concept is also not new in Canada, the United States or Europe, where certain companies and different government entities have already experimented with it.
The move to a four-day work week has gained momentum, especially after the pandemic, as employers around the world grapple with labor shortages, workers demanding a better work-life balance, and demographic shifts as older workers retire and younger workers have fewer children.
A 2023 survey from the recruitment firm Robert Half found that 91 percent of senior executives surveyed said they would support a four-day work week for their team, citing employee retention, productivity and well-being.
John Trougakos, a professor of management at the University of Toronto, said that by looking at examples from different countries and organizations that have used the four-day workweek model, it has been shown that it not only increases the productivity, but also leads to healthier results.
“This proves to be a great way to help employees balance their work and home lives and it helps them reduce burnout and stress and improve their well-being,” Trougakos said.
“When we give people… more personal time, they can spend that time on a better work-life balance, having more time to spend with their family, so it can’t hurt. »
Phillip Lipscy, director of the Center for the Study of Global Japan and professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said that generally speaking, work-life balance is a useful policy measure to try to increase fertility rates, but that much also depends on the implementation of such a plan and other measures to fill the gap.
In the case of Tokyo, for civil servants to take this fifth day off of the week, they would have to extend their normal working hours over four days and that “is not necessarily going to help you raise your children.” Lipscy said.
Cutting 40 hours of work into four days can make some workers more tired and less productive, Trougakos said.
Employers should instead consider a significant reduction in working hours that would allow employees to recover from the demands of their jobs and spend time with their families, he said, adding that there is no “one solution for everyone”. .”
“The thing to keep in mind for any organization interested in this is to do it in a way that best meets their business objectives.”
Why is the fertility rate in Canada falling?
The Canadian public service is not among employers considering a large-scale four-day work model, said Rola Salem, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
“The federal public service offers competitive wages, working conditions and benefits that support families, such as parental leave, paid family leave, health, dental and disability benefits (including coverage for prescription fertility drugs), a defined contribution pension. plan and flexible work arrangements where possible,” Salem said in an emailed statement to Global News.
“Eligible indeterminate and term employees of the core public administration also have access to a number of flexible work schedule options.
A spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said federal government initiatives like the Canada Child Benefit, affordable child care, improved employment insurance and an entitlement policy disconnection “could help Canadians concerned about the costs of having children.”
According to Statistics Canada report published in September, Canada’s fertility rate in 2023 was 1.26 children per woman, the lowest level recorded since the agency began collecting data.
A StatCan report released in January said Canada, like other countries, is facing the “pandemic roller coaster” of fertility, with a growing number of families postponing the birth of children.
“Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a period of public health crisis, as well as economic and societal shocks, it is possible that part of the population responded to this period of widespread uncertainty with their choices in matters of procreation,” we can read.
Experts also point to prolonged economic uncertainty, high costs of living, housing problems, lifestyle changes and a prioritization of careers due to declining birth rates.
“Certainly the decline is on many levels. We can’t blame women who wait longer,” Dubé said.