The 4-day workweek: worth another look
TrackingA 2023 petition reached Taiwan's official threshold and was rejected as "not feasible." Since then AI and automation have kept reshaping productivity — worth reopening the conversation.
Ministry of Labor: agrees flexible working hours matter, but says a full 4-day workweek touches income, industry structure, and staffing — needs caution. For now: keep the 2-day weekend, push flexible arrangements instead (flex hours, reduced hours, remote work), and encourage collective bargaining agreements. In plain terms: no extra day off yet, "flexibility" instead.
Directorate-General of Personnel Administration: flagged the military, small businesses, financial/securities firms, government agencies, and education as especially exposed to staffing cuts; also noted a 4-day week would leave Taiwan's securities market closed more days per year than major international markets, hurting capital flow and competitiveness.
Read the official JOIN response ↗The first petition drew three official objections: (1) too many downstream effects — daily life, business operations, transit, banking, stock markets, and school schedules would all need to adjust together; (2) no international precedent — no country had implemented it economy-wide, only scattered pilot programs; (3) government's own infrastructure (public administration, industry, education) wasn't ready yet.