While some countries have experimented with shortening the work week to improve the mental health and productivity of workers, at least one country is doing the opposite. South Korea’s government was forced this week to review a plan to raise the maximum working hours to 69 hours per week from the current limit of 52 after it sparked a backlash among millennial and Gen Z workers, according to reports. CNN.

Workers in East Asian countries already face some of the longest working days in the world – behind Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile in 2021, according to the OECD – and death from overwork (“guaros”) is thought to kill dozens of people every year.

Millennium uprising

However, the government backed the plan to raise the working hours limit after pressure from big companies seeking to boost productivity, until it faced strong opposition from the younger generation and unions.

South Korea’s presidential secretary Yoon Suk-yeol said on Wednesday that the government will take a new “direction” after listening to public opinion and said it is committed to protecting the rights and interests of millennials, Generation Z and non-union workers.

Raising the cap was seen as a way to address the labor shortage the country is facing due to a declining birth rate, which is the lowest in the world, and an aging population.

It was only in 2018 that the country reduced the working time limit from 68 hours per week to the current 52, a move that at the time received overwhelming support in the National Assembly.

The current law limits the work week to 40 hours plus up to 12 hours of paid overtime — although in reality, critics say, many workers are forced to work more.

“This proposal makes no sense … and is very far from what workers really want,” said Jung Junsik, a 25-year-old student from Seoul, who added that even if the government changes its mind, many workers will still feel pressured to work over the legal maximum.

“My own father is overworked every week and there is no line between work and life,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is quite a common phenomenon. Labor inspectors cannot monitor every workplace 24 hours a day. The South Korean people (will remain) vulnerable to deadly overtime.”

According to the OECD, South Koreans worked an average of 1,915 hours in 2021, well above the OECD (1,716) and US (1,767) averages.

Iceland, Spain, Great Britain and Japan are among the countries that have tried or will try a 4-day work week.

Large-scale testing carried out in Great Britain has shown that reducing the working week to 4 days can benefit employees not only in terms of free time.

Better sleep, for example, was one reason why this change would be beneficial. Both employees and employers.

Including in Romania, PNL and USR submitted a draft law in 2022, according to which the duration of working hours can be four days with a schedule of 10 hours per day.