Is there a 4-day week in Australia?
No. Australia has no national 4-day week, and no law gives workers a right to one. The main test was a 2022-23 pilot run by 4 Day Week Global: 26 companies, 10 of them in Australia, kept pay at 100% while cutting work time in a six-month pilot that got underway in August 2022. Boston College researchers reported that 64% of surveyed employees had less burnout, and 95% of the 20 companies that stated an intention wanted to continue.
A Senate committee recommended a national trial in March 2023. In 2025 the Prime Minister said there were "no plans" to adopt one. The Greens' 2025 election policy proposed a Fair Work Commission test case and national trials. In May 2026 the ACTU told a parliamentary inquiry into the National Employment Standards that weekly hours should first fall from 38 to 35.
A Tasmanian council shows the limits. City of Launceston agreed in principle in January 2026 to a 30.4-hour, four-day week for staff, then stepped back in February to flexible 38-hour arrangements, including compressed four-day weeks. Pilot results are self-reported, mostly by small firms.
Latest developments
Launceston council and ASU set up a 4-day week working group
The Australian Services Union announced a working group with City of Launceston, under a commitment in the recent enterprise agreement, to look at the viability of a 4-day week. It reports to the next bargaining round, due in early 2028.
ASU Vic/Tas: 4-Day Work Week Working Group kicks off (opens in new tab)ACTU: unions to argue for 38 to 35 weekly hours at NES inquiry
In a release for the inquiry hearing, the ACTU said unions would argue that weekly hours should first fall from 38 to 35, with a four-day week where possible, and that annual leave should rise by a week.
ACTU: Reduced working hours critical for workers and their families (opens in new tab)City of Launceston steps back from its 30.4-hour 100-80-100 model
The council dropped its 30.4-hour 100-80-100 model and offered flexible 38-hour arrangements, including compressed four-day weeks and nine-day fortnights, with a staff vote to follow. It plans a working group with the ASU and key stakeholders to build the evidence base for the model.
City of Launceston: Work continues on Enterprise Agreement proposal (opens in new tab)Launceston council and ASU agree in principle to a 30.4-hour 4-day week
The in-principle enterprise agreement would have full-time staff work 30.4 ordinary hours over four days for 100 per cent of their current five-day salaries, subject to a staff vote and Fair Work Commission approval.
City of Launceston: agreement in principle on landmark Enterprise Agreement (opens in new tab)Prime Minister says there are no plans for a 4-day week
A week before the federal productivity roundtable, Anthony Albanese said there were no plans to adopt a 4-day week. The Treasurer said it had not been the government's focus. Unions had called for a shorter working week and the Greens backed a four-day week.
SBS News: Is Australia due for a four-day work week? (opens in new tab)Greens launch 4-day week election policy
The Australian Greens proposed national trials across industries coordinated by a National Institute for the Four Day Work Week, and support for a 4-day week test case at the Fair Work Commission.
Australian Greens: Greens launch 4 day work week election policy (opens in new tab)
4-day-week trials in Australia
What each pilot reported. Figures are the organiser's own, from the linked report.
4 Day Week Global Australasia pilot (10 of 26 companies in Australia)
Run by 4 Day Week Global; research by Boston College
- Aug 2022
- 26 companies
- 758 participants
26 companies (10 in Australia, 9 in New Zealand, 4 in Europe, 3 in the US and Canada) ran a six-month pilot that got underway in August 2022, keeping pay at 100% with a meaningful cut in work time. 758 people took part; 547 completed both surveys. 21 companies rated the trial 8.2/10 and 95% of the 20 stating an intention wanted to continue.
- fewer sick days
- 44.3%
Companies rated the impact on productivity 7/10 and on performance 6.8/10. Resignation rates per 100 employees fell 8.6% (18 companies with data). Sick and personal days per employee per month fell 44.3% (17 companies).
- Mental health: 64% of surveyed employees reported less burnout and 38% felt less stressed (shares of respondents, not the size of a drop).
- Sleep: 35% of surveyed employees reported fewer sleep problems (a share of respondents).
Jobs in Australia
Who offers a 4-day week in Australia
Inventium
Australia's leading behavioural science consultancy helping organizations unlock growth through innovation with a 4-day work week.
House of Brand
Brand insights and growth consultancy energizing brands through human behaviour understanding, offering 4-day weeks and profit sharing to all team members.
VERSA
Digital transformation agency specializing in conversational AI and omni-channel customer experiences, with a permanent 4-day work week since 2019.
BugHerd
Leading visual feedback and bug tracking tool for websites, trusted by thousands of agencies and marketing teams worldwide.
Cliniko
Practice management software trusted by 100,000+ allied health professionals worldwide, pioneering a 30-hour work week with complete autonomy and no managers.
Equality Media + Marketing
Award-winning independent Melbourne media, creative and marketing agency operating a 32-hour, four-day workweek since April 2022
How Australia compares
Australia, the labelled dot, against the other countries we cover.
Average weekly hours
5th shortest of 25 countries, 1.9 hours below the median of 37.3.
Netherlands 31.3 to South Africa 42.3
See all 25 countries
| Country | Hours |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 31.3 |
| Denmark | 33.3 |
| Germany | 34.5 |
| Norway | 34.6 |
| Australia | 35.4 |
| Austria | 35.6 |
| Finland | 35.6 |
| Switzerland | 35.7 |
| Belgium | 36.0 |
| Ireland | 36.0 |
| United Kingdom | 36.3 |
| France | 36.9 |
| Sweden | 37.3 |
| Iceland | 37.4 |
| Japan | 37.5 |
| Spain | 37.5 |
| New Zealand | 37.6 |
| United States | 38.2 |
| Lithuania | 39.0 |
| South Korea | 39.4 |
| Brazil | 39.5 |
| Chile | 39.8 |
| Poland | 39.9 |
| Portugal | 40.0 |
| South Africa | 42.3 |
Usual weekly hours on the main job, all employed people, from the OECD (latest year, 2024 or 2025). It includes part-timers. No comparable figure for: Canada, Philippines, United Arab Emirates.
Statutory paid leave
Joint 12th longest of 26 countries, level with the median of 20.
United Kingdom 28 to United States None
See all 26 countries
| Country | Days |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 28 |
| Austria | 25 |
| Denmark | 25 |
| Finland | 25 |
| France | 25 |
| Sweden | 25 |
| Iceland | 24 |
| Brazil | 22 |
| Portugal | 22 |
| Spain | 22 |
| Norway | 21 |
| Australia | 20 |
| Belgium | 20 |
| Germany | 20 |
| Ireland | 20 |
| Netherlands | 20 |
| New Zealand | 20 |
| Poland | 20 |
| Switzerland | 20 |
| Chile | 15 |
| South Africa | 15 |
| South Korea | 15 |
| Canada | 10 |
| Japan | 10 |
| Philippines | 5 |
| United States | None |
The legal minimum a year, in working days on a five-day week, before public holidays. Definitions differ: some countries set weeks or calendar days (converted here), the UK lets public holidays count and the United States has no national minimum. Each country page says what its number covers. No comparable figure for: Lithuania, United Arab Emirates.
Working in Australia
Working hours
Employed Australians averaged 35.4 hours a week in 2025 (OECD, usual hours on the main job). The National Employment Standards set a maximum of 38 hours a week for full-time employees, plus reasonable additional hours. For part-time employees the limit is the lesser of 38 hours and their ordinary weekly hours.
Paid leave and holidays
Full-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year, pro rata for part-time staff, plus 1 extra week for eligible shift workers. On a five-day week that is 20 days. If a public holiday falls on a day you would normally work, you get a paid day off.
Part-time and flexible work
After 12 months in a job, some employees can make a written request for flexible working arrangements, including carers, people with a disability, parents of school-age or younger children, and people aged 55 or over.
Remote work
In August 2025, 36% of employed people (including the self-employed) usually worked from home (Australian Bureau of Statistics). In Victoria, the government introduced a bill on 16 June 2026 to give eligible employees a right to work from home two days a week. It is not yet law: on 10 September 2026 the Legislative Council sent it to a select committee due to report by 20 October 2026, and we could not see that report. That is a remote-work right, not a shorter week.