Overview

• The latest six-month pilot run by the 4 Day Week Foundation, involving 17 companies and nearly 1,000 workers, ended with every firm retaining a four-day schedule.
• ONS data show nearly 1.4 million people worked full-time on four days in Oct–Dec 2024, up by more than 100,000 from the same period in 2019.
• Across full- and part-time roles, 10.9% of people reported a four-day week in late 2024, representing about 2.7 million workers.
• South Cambridgeshire District Council made its 27-month trial permanent for 700 staff, reporting faster services and roughly £400,000 a year in savings.
• Campaigners say more than 420 UK employers have adopted a four-day week since the pandemic, and senior Labour figures have voiced support after prior guidance opposing council trials was withdrawn.