Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement his Department has had with other Departments and State bodies in providing employees with the option to avail of a four-day week; the number of employees in State bodies currently doing so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21317/23]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in common with the Civil Service and public sector generally, provides a wide array of flexible working arrangements including reduced working time.

I understand that the Deputy is referring to recent initiatives built around working a four-day week for 100% of pay and no loss in productivity. This type of working arrangement has not been introduced in my Department or agencies and I do not believe it has been introduced in the public sector generally. Therefore, there are no statistics to report on this type of four-day working week.

I welcome increased public interest in and discussion of this topic, and around innovative ways of working more generally. In this context, I welcome the interim findings of the four-day working week pilot announced by Four-Day Week Ireland, UCD and Boston College in November 2022, as well as the findings of a similar trial undertaken in the UK which were published in February this year.

The Irish project saw a four-day working week being piloted in 12 businesses in Ireland for a period of six months, and examined the financial, social, and environmental impact that a four-day working week would have on businesses, employees and the environment.

I note with interest the reported benefits of the four-day workweek such as improved productivity, revenue and staff retention for some participating businesses, alongside improved work-life balance and reduced stress for employees.

While these trials have been limited to a relatively small number of companies, this research makes a significant contribution to an important debate and I am aware that a second trial of the four-day working week is being prepared by Four-Day Week Ireland.

With support from my Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is commissioning research which will examine the potential social, economic and environmental implications of a transition to reduced working time, including a four-day workweek. This will add further to the evidence base on this important subject.

The research will take into account other Government initiatives such as the recent passing of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 and the National Remote Work Strategy, measures which very much reflect the Government’s commitment to facilitating flexible working options for employees across both public and private sectors.