NEARLY 50% of Irish employers say that adopting a four-day working work would be "feasible", according to a new survey.
Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A), Ireland's largest independent market research company, conducted research last month on behalf of Fórsa/FourDayWeek Ireland
Results showed that three-quarters (75%) of Irish workers say that a four-day working week was "desirable", while two out of three respondents said they believed a four-day week was "realistic and achievable."
The survey collected data from over 1,000 Irish workers, posing them the idea of a shorter working week.
It was pitched to them as: "same job, same goals, same salary but over four days rather than five."
Just over three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed said they would support the Government exploring the potential introduction of a four-day week.
Among employers, more than two out of three (67%) supported this.
Chairman of the Four Day Week Ireland steering committee Joe O'Connor said the results proved that the Irish public was keen on the idea of a shortening the working week.
"The four-day week, with no loss of pay, offers the potential of a genuinely better future for workers and employers alike," he said.
"It's clear employers recognise the productivity potential of a four-day week too, [in fact] some employers have already taken the first steps with very promising results."
Fórsa and Four Day Week Ireland are now asking the Oireachtas Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to commission an expert report on the feasibility of a four-day working week in Ireland.
