Switzerland debates capping working hours at 38 hours a week

A new proposal submitted to parliament would see working hours in Switzerland capped at 38 hours a week. Supporters argued that a majority of employees want to clock in for fewer hours, and that working less leads to health and social benefits.

New cap proposed on working hours in Switzerland

Under the plans, submitted to the Security Policy Committee of the National Council by the Social Democratic Party (SP), the maximum amount of working hours permitted under Swiss law would be reduced from 45 to 38 hours a week. Jobs in Switzerland would also be restricted to a working time of at most four and a half days a week.

The plan is designed to be a counter-proposal to the Service Citoyen initiative, a referendum which would require all residents of Switzerland, including citizens, holders of residence permits, men and women, to participate in national service via the army or civilian service. If the reduced hours plan is made the official counter-proposal, it would be enacted if the Service Citoyen initiative is rejected.

"Many would like to contribute more to society if they could find the time," SP National Councillor Andrea Zyrd told Blick. She argued that people would be able to contribute more to civil society if they were able to work less. The SP added that a 38-hour maximum working week would also promote social cohesion.

Full-time staff in Switzerland work the longest hours in Europe

Though working hours have been falling in recent years, full-time staff in Switzerland still work the longest hours in Europe, coming in at 42 hours and 33 minutes as of 2023. What’s more, a survey from the Sotomo Institute in 2023 found that two-thirds of residents feel they work too much.

The SP’s proposal also comes at a time when the idea of a “four-day working week” is gaining traction across the world - the largest-ever trial in Switzerland began in October 2024. Similar trials of the system carried out in Germany and South Africa demonstrated that 39 percent of four-day week employees were less stressed, and 71 percent had reduced levels of burnout.

Opponents raise cost and staff shortage concerns

However, the plans still face intense resistance from some in parliament, who argue that the development would cost the economy millions. For instance, amid its plans to reduce working hours, the cantonal government in Basel estimated that if they cut public sector working hours from 42 to 38 hours a week, they would have to spend 150 million francs a year finding and employing new workers to plug the gap - a move seen as irresponsible given the country’s staff shortages.

Blick noted that supermarkets and other retail businesses fear significant additional costs if working hours are reduced. Some also question whether shorter working hours would increase levels of burnout in companies that do not adequately prepare, as employees would be forced to do the same amount of work in less time.

Though Zyrd does not think the SP’s proposal will pass, she sees it as the start of wider discussions around working culture in Switzerland. "We want to get something going, because things cannot continue as they are now."

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