Is there a 4-day week in Finland?
No. Finland has no four-day week law or national scheme. In August 2019, Sanna Marin, then Minister of Transport, asked at a party event whether a four-day week or six-hour day could be the next step. When media reported in January 2020 that she planned it as prime minister, the government said on 7 January 2020 that a four-day week was not in its programme and not on its agenda.
What Finland has is flexibility by agreement. The Working Time Act, in force since 1 January 2020, keeps regular working time at 8 hours a day and 40 a week. An employer and employee may agree flexible hours, or 'flexiwork', where the employee decides the time and place of at least half of the working hours. These are agreements, not a right employees can demand. A working time account lets saved hours be taken as time off, at least two weeks a year. Employers must try to arrange part-time work for health or social reasons, but may refuse if they give reasons.
In January 2025, Yle reported that an SDP deputy chair and the trade union confederation SAK had proposed a large four-day week trial for the next electoral term; an earlier Finnish Entrepreneurs survey, cited by Yle, found nearly 60% of entrepreneurs did not want to try one. Yle gives no trial details (hours, pay) and no government reaction.
Latest developments
SDP deputy chair and SAK propose a large four-day week trial
Yle reported that an SDP deputy chair (Matias Mäkynen) and the trade union confederation SAK proposed a large four-day week trial for the next electoral term. Yle also cited an earlier Finnish Entrepreneurs survey in which nearly 60% of entrepreneurs did not want to try it.
Yle: nelipäiväinen työviikko on yhä poikkeus (30 January 2025) (opens in new tab)
Who offers a 4-day week in Finland
We do not list a company with a 4-day week in Finland yet.
Suggest a companyHow Finland compares
Finland, in rose, against the other countries we cover.
Average weekly hours
Joint 6th shortest of 25 countries, 1.7 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 2nd longest of 26 countries, 5 days above 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 Finland
Working hours
The average employee works 35.6 hours a week (OECD, 2025), counting part-timers. Under the Working Time Act, regular working time may not exceed 8 hours a day or 40 a week, and working time including overtime may not exceed an average of 48 hours a week over four months.
Paid leave and holidays
The Annual Holidays Act gives two and a half weekdays of holiday for each full month earned (two in the first year of employment). The Act counts every day except Sundays and some holidays as a weekday, so 30 weekdays is five weeks, or 25 days on a five-day week.
Part-time and flexible work
In 2025, 17.5% of employed people aged 15-64 worked part time: 23.2% of women and 12.1% of men (Eurostat). Flexible working hours let the employee set the timing of the day within agreed limits, with a flexible period of at most four hours; flexiwork must be agreed in writing.
Remote work
In 2025, 38.4% of employees aged 15-64 worked from home at least sometimes: 18.8% usually and 19.6% sometimes (Eurostat).