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SNEF survey finds 95% of Singapore employers will not introduce a 4-day workweek

Posted on by L. Dreeye
SNEF survey finds 95% of Singapore employers will not introduce a 4-day workweek

About 95 per cent of employers in Singapore will not introduce a four-day workweek at their organizations, according to a survey conducted by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

The survey, which ran from September 30 to October 7, received responses from 330 employers to gauge their readiness to move to a four-day work week.

Among those opposed, 260 employers (79 percent) said they would not introduce a four-day workweek, while the remaining 16 percent said they would not introduce it but would consider it.

On Friday (November 1), SNEF said in a statement that employers were hesitant to introduce a four-day work week because their business operations must be carried out around the clock.

Other reasons included the inability to increase productivity to compensate for the reduced workforce, as well as higher costs.

Sim Guan Guang, chief executive of SNEF, said: “These results reflect the realities facing many employers in today’s tight labor market and competitive business environment.”

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Of all respondents, only 18 percent said they would introduce a four-day work week. The reasons they did this included, among other things, a desire to improve the well-being of their employees.

Sim added: “Although a small proportion of employers are in favor of introducing a four-day working week in their organizations… the feasibility and economic implications make this a challenging proposition to meet their business needs.”

In the manufacturing sector, 84 percent of all respondents indicated that they would not introduce a four-day work week. The remaining 16 percent will not implement it, but will consider this option.

In the non-manufacturing segment, only 7 percent of 330 respondents said they would implement it. The rest said they would not implement it, and some indicated they would consider it.