Most Singaporean employers reject 4-day work week — SNEF poll

Operational feasibility holding employers back from implementing short workweek arrangement

Most Singaporean employers reject 4-day work week — SNEF poll

An overwhelming majority of employers in Singapore will not implement a four-day work week for their organisation, citing operational feasibility and productivity concerns.

The poll, released by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), garnered 330 respondents to find that 95% have no plans to reduce working hours to up to 36 hours weekly without cutting pay. 

This includes 79% of employers who have no absolute intentions of adopting the work arrangement, and 16% who said they will not implement it but will consider, according to the poll.

Source: Singapore National Employers Federation

By sector, 84% of manufacturing businesses and 77% of non-manufacturing businesses indicated that they have no plans to implement a four-day work week.

By employment size, opposition against the work arrangement was also revealed to be across the board.

Source: Singapore National Employers Federation

Why not a four-day work week?

Business operations has emerged as the top-cited reason why employers are not implementing a four-day work week, as some noted that their organisations operate 24/7.

The second-highest reason is because they're unable to increase productivity to offset the reduction in capacity. Other reasons against a four-day work week include:

  • Higher costs due to additional manpower needed to plug the gaps
  • Current flexible work arrangements offered are already adequate to meet employees' needs
  • Challenges in finding manpower to meet business needs

Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director at SNEF, said the findings reflect the realities employers face amid the tight labour market and competitive business environment.

"While a small proportion of employers are in favour of implementing a four-day work week in their organisation, our findings indicate that for most employers, the operational feasibility and economic implications make it a challenging proposition to meet their business needs," Sim said in a statement.

Why adopt a four-day work week?

On the other hand, the top reason cited by the five per cent who said they will implement a four-day work week is to strengthen the company's employees' value proposition.

Other reasons include:

  • To improve employees' wellbeing
  • To improve employees' job satisfaction
  • To increase productivity
  • To improve recruitment efforts and plug manpower gaps

The four-day work week arrangement has been gaining traction across the world as more flexible working arrangements emerge post-pandemic.

In 2022, a Qualtrics study found that 64% prefer having flexibility in the workplace over a four-day work week. However, 87% of employees said they would support their organisation should they adopt the arrangement, citing its benefits for work-life balance, mental health, and productivity.