Amid ongoing discussions of four-day weeks and flexible hours, one proposal set to be debated by lawmakers in Geneva will add new fuel to the heated debate. Under the plans, workers would be entitled to eight hours of salary after just six hours of work.

What's behind the 30-hour working week proposal in Geneva?

Under the plans, submitted by Geneva Citizen’s Movement Grand Councillor Thierry Cerutti, all public and private sector workers in the canton would only have to work for six hours every day to receive a full-time salary. The motion calls for the Genevan government to set up pilot projects across the city, to help gradually move towards what is in effect a 30-hour working week.

Speaking to local TV station Léman Bleu, Cerutti argued that the “world of work has changed” in recent years. He noted that as late as the beginning of the 20th century, workers in Switzerland toiled for 16 hours a day, "in the 1950s, we reduced that to 47 hours a week, and today, we are at 41 hours, roughly." Moving to 30 hours, he argued, is therefore a natural progression.

While OECD data suggests that jobs in Switzerland have some of the shortest working hours in Europe at 34,6 hours, this is mainly due to the number of people working part-time. In fact, an August 2024 report from the Federal Statistical Office noted that while hours have fallen, the alpine nation maintains the longest average full-time week in Europe at 40 hours and 12 minutes.

Shorter working hours an ongoing debate in Switzerland

By reducing hours down to 30 hours while maintaining wage rates, Cerutti argued that the Genevan workplace will better reflect “social reality”. He argued that shorter hours will help improve quality of life, noting that similar measures adopted by companies in Sweden “work for health and productivity. There is really an added value in working less to produce more."

Talk of reducing working hours in Switzerland is not new. In October, the country began its largest-ever four-day week trial, with improving work-life balance at the top of the agenda. 

Indeed, the same 4 Day Week Global study conducted in the United Kingdom in 2022 was labelled a “resounding success”, with 56 of the 61 participating companies deciding to continue using the four-day week model after the pilot period was over, while 18 of these companies said that the new policy was a permanent change. The pilot found that 39 percent of employees were less stressed and 71 percent had reduced levels of burnout. 

Reducing hours amid worker shortage "suicidal" say opponents

However, Cerutti’s plan does have its detractors, with many worrying that the policy will make the ongoing worker shortage in Switzerland even worse. “[It] is almost suicidal,” argued Léman Bleu presenter Jérémy Seydoux, arguing that if hours are reduced by 20 percent, the city will have to attract significantly more workers to fill the gap.

Seydoux took aim at the French 35-hour week, arguing that it has not been beneficial for the economy. Cerutti retorted that it was unhelpful to compare France with Switzerland: "France is not orderly, not disciplined, and our values ​​are not the same." 

Derogatory comments aside, the legacy of the 35-hour week in France is still debated. Though it has been praised for lowering unemployment, it has led to an increased workload for shift employees and has not actually reduced real working hours, which remain around 40 hours a week.

Swiss government and businesses cool on shorter hours

The Swiss government is equally lukewarm about reducing hours. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs told the Tages-Anzeiger back in April that while it would be analysing four-day week trials with interest, it doubted that they would produce any benefits. The Federal Council wrote last year that there is “no need” for any tests, claiming that the results of previous trials are skewed as only companies that could see the change working for them would volunteer to apply.

Rudolf Minsch, chief economist for umbrella organisation EconomieSuisse, was even more stringent, arguing that shorter working hours are impractical for most industries. He added that the idea of a shorter working week is a symptom of an already affluent society: “We are doing so well that we feel like we can afford less work.” In all, he said that reducing hours "must be prevented at all costs. It would be poison for Switzerland as a business location.”  

Cerutti’s proposal will now be debated by the Grand Council in Geneva. Even though it is likely to be rejected, he hopes it will help generate discussion and get the wheels rolling on reducing working hours.

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