The shift will be gradual and won’t affect all industries, according to the head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Yaroslav Nilov
Russia will eventually move to a four-day workweek, Yaroslav Nilov, the head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, has said. He stressed, however, that the shift will be gradual and will likely not involve blanket regulations, as it will not suit all industries.
The idea has been actively discussed since 2019, when then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev raised it at the International Labor Conference in Geneva, saying the global economy could eventually adopt shorter workweeks.
In Russia, the standard working week is 40 hours, with Saturday and Sunday off. Several lawmakers have proposed cutting the workweek to four days in recent years, but the initiatives have all been rejected.
”Eventually, we will switch [to a four-day week],” Nilov told TASS on Monday. “But this should all happen evolutionarily and synergistically, and in no case should there be any regulation.” He noted that some jobs, such as piecework or essential services like doctors, cannot be adapted to reduced hours.
Nilov stressed that the shorter week must not reduce incomes or harm companies, adding that “the labor market itself must come to this.”
He noted that after the Covid pandemic, many companies adopted remote or mixed formats, and some already work four or even three days a week through resource redistribution. Earlier this year, Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ announced plans to shift to a four-day week, citing high interest rates, tighter loan requirements, and increased car imports.
Public opinion on the shorter workweek remains mixed. A recent survey by job search service SuperJob found that more than half of Russians support a four-day workweek, while 87% of employers say they would not even discuss changing schedules, citing staff shortages. Another study by hh.ru shows stronger support from employers, with 81% in favor of a four-day week, especially among large companies.
