Gyeonggi-do 4.5-Day System Pilot Implementation - Pursuing Work-Life Balance with a Biweekly 4-Day System

Need for a 4.5-day workweek trial implementation

The pilot implementation of a 4.5-day workweek by Gyeonggi Province prompts us to reflect on our lives as workers in modern society. Many employees are experiencing weekends that have turned into mere recovery time, spending most of their days on work and passing time. This phenomenon is reflected in the fact that Korea ranks among the OECD countries with high annual working hours. Although the legal working hours are set at 40 hours per week, various reasons lead to situations where actual working hours are longer than this. Despite these long working hours, productivity remains low, and life satisfaction is, in fact, lower than the OECD average. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how people are spending their time. It is time to seek ways to find true leisure rather than simply consuming rest days as “sleeping time.”

The Meaning of the Implementation of the Gyeonggi Province Type 4.5-Day Work Week

In June 2025, Gyeonggi Province launched a '4.5-day workweek pilot program.' This is not just a simple change in the work system, but an attempt to bring positive changes to the overall lives of workers. Gyeonggi Province collaborated with 68 companies, and the governor took steps to transform the daily and weekly routines of working individuals. The main goal of this system is to maintain wages while reducing working hours. It will be operated in a way that allows companies to autonomously choose various forms, such as a 35-hour work week or a 4-day work week every other week. Additionally, participating companies will receive wage compensation and consulting cost support to minimize their burden.

Changes Brought by the 4.5-Day Workweek

Since the introduction of this system, many workers have experienced a change in their quality of life. An employee from an IT company reported feeling so awkward about how to spend weekends that he didn't know what to do for the first month. However, as time passed, he began to fill that time with reading, shopping, and communication with family. This change has created a clear boundary that distinguishes 'work and life,' rather than simply getting time back. In fact, many companies have experienced an increase in employee focus and a decrease in turnover rates without the initial concerns of revenue loss. This is a result that differentiates from examples in other countries, and Gyeonggi Province is looking forward to these positive changes.

4.5-day work week and economic interests

The 4.5-day workweek means more than just reducing working hours. This system will be in operation for the next three years, and the performance of participating companies will be analyzed through various indicators. Through this, Gyeonggi Province plans to propose institutionalization to the central government. Furthermore, this system challenges the existing prejudice that 'reducing working hours equals economic impact.' This approach redefines the concept of time and actively changes the time available to workers. In other words, we will be able to find the time we need beyond the hours set by the company. The 4.5-day workweek prompts us to ask questions about a better life and explore its possibilities.

The future changes brought by a 4.5-day workweek

The implementation of a 4.5-day workweek in Gyeonggi Province is inducing the necessary changes in our society. It challenges the notion that 'living is working, and working is living,' aiming for leisure and an improvement in the quality of life. Through the 4.5-day workweek, people will be able to enjoy a higher quality of life, which will have a positive impact on our society as a whole. Some individuals will have the opportunity to read, meet friends, or recharge themselves during this time. The day will soon arrive when we will not live to work, but work to live. This change holds the potential to expand beyond Gyeonggi Province to encompass the entire South Korea.