51: Should we move to a four day week?

L&G Talks Asset Management · May 22, 2019 · 31m

Is a four day working week realistic — or desirable? Chris Jeffery from our Asset Allocation team and Lara Bernard-Villeneuve in our Active Fixed Income team have looked at the data and think it’s more than a leftist’s pipe dream. Set in the context of a history of declining working hours in industrialised countries, the move does not seem so stark – and need not necessarily trigger a drop in wages. In fact, the boost in productivity accruing to companies and countries who have trialled the measure is clear.

With investment implications that stretch from tipping the balance in the workforce…