More than 200,000 UK workers have moved to a four-day working week since 2019, according to analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. The number of people working full-time across four days rose by over 100,000 to 1.4 million between October and December 2024, compared with 1.29 million in the same period five years earlier. An additional 100,000 workers adopted a part-time four-day week over the same timeframe.
The proportion of the workforce reporting a four-day week has increased from 9.8% in late 2019 to 10.9%, representing 2.7 million people across full- and part-time roles. The figures do not specify whether these workers have compressed their hours or accepted a pay cut to achieve the shorter week.
The 4 Day Week Foundation, which campaigns for a four-day, 32-hour week with no loss of pay, says more than 420 companies employing over 12,000 workers have adopted the model since the pandemic. Sam Hunt, the foundation's business network coordinator, said: “The nine to five, five-day week is a century-old model that no longer fits the way we live and work today. A four-day week with no loss of pay is about freedom – the freedom to live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.”
South Cambridgeshire District Council became the first UK local authority to permanently adopt a four-day week last month, after a 27-month trial. The council reported faster planning applications, improved staff motivation, reduced turnover, and annual savings of nearly £400,000 by filling vacancies permanently instead of using agency staff. The previous Conservative government had opposed the trial, but Labour withdrew that guidance in November, stating councils are “independent employers” responsible for their own workforce management.
Several senior Labour figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, have voiced support for a four-day week, though the party has not adopted it as policy. The Scottish government launched a four-day week pilot in early 2024, with results expected soon. Marketing, technology, and charity sectors have been leading the shift, according to research.
