A Country That Signed to Adopt a '4-Day Workweek' with Only 'Monday to Thursday' Workdays...

Kazakhstan to Implement '4-Day Workweek' Starting July
South Korea's '69-Hour Workweek' Reform Suspended Amid Controversy

While controversy arose in South Korea over the proposal to implement a 'maximum 69-hour workweek,' Kazakhstan in Central Asia will introduce a four-day workweek starting July 1.

On the 25th (local time), NUR News reported that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the amended labor law, which includes provisions for a four-day workweek, on the 20th.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Employees working a four-day week will, in principle, have Sunday as a day off, and the third day off during the week will be determined according to collective agreements or labor regulations. Additionally, if agreed upon by labor and management, the right to shift work such as five-day or six-day workweeks will also be guaranteed.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor explained, "The first week of each month will involve five working days, and the second week will have four working days, alternating weekly. This shift work practice is already applied to office workers in Kazakhstan and aligns with international labor standards."

Kazakhstan is a resource-rich country with the world's largest tungsten reserves and the second-largest uranium and chromium reserves. It is also one of the top five countries richest in manganese, silver, zinc, and lead. With 180 million hectares of arable land per capita, ranking second worldwide, Kazakhstan is the fifth-largest holder of pastureland globally and one of the top ten wheat producers.

Meanwhile, several countries, including Kazakhstan, are adopting the four-day workweek, expecting increased worker satisfaction and productivity.

Last year, Belgium announced amendments to its labor law to enable a four-day workweek. According to the amendments, daily working hours for employees were extended from a maximum of 8 hours to 9 hours and 30 minutes, and with labor-management agreement, up to 10 hours per day is allowed. This allows employees to fulfill the maximum weekly working hours of 38 hours by working only four days a week, maintaining their wages.

In March, the Australian private relief organization 'Oxfam' allowed regular employees to switch from a five-day, 35-hour workweek to a four-day, 30-hour workweek without pay cuts. Furthermore, following the recommendation by the Australian Federal Senate Labor and Care Committee to fully implement the four-day workweek, the Australian government is considering piloting the four-day workweek at 29 companies starting at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the 'Working Hours System Reform Plan' in March, stating it was to "guarantee workers' right to choose, health rights, and rest rights." However, it faced criticism that it would instead cause "unpaid overtime" and "long working hours."

In response, the government postponed the reform of the working hours system, stating that it plans to collect opinions through a national survey of 6,000 people and focus group interviews (FGI).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.