The Spanish government has launched a pilot project, according to which, in order to increase labor productivity, small and medium-sized industrial companies will be able to reduce the working week by at least half a day without reducing wages, Euronews reports..

To finance the development of ways to increase productivity while reducing working hours, the Spanish Ministry of Industry has allocated 10 million euros.

New methods of organizing work will have to be introduced within a year, and such a program will need to be supported for at least two years..

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In the first year of the project, the government will partially finance the wage costs of companies that reduce working hours, and will also help finance training and the cost of measures to increase labor productivity..

At least 30% of employees must reduce working hours if the company employs up to 20 people, and if the company employs from 21 to 249 people, then at least 25% of employees must participate in the program.

The first country in the world to officially introduce a shorter work week was the UAE in 2021..