Four Day Work Week In New Zealand

New Zealand’s prime minister proposed a four-day workweek after the coronavirus pandemic could help revitalize the hard-hit economy in the region.

Speaking on Monday in a Facebook Live post, Jacinda Ardern said flexible job arrangements and more public holidays are ways to stimulate the economy and encourage domestic tourism as the country’s boundaries remain closed to international tourists.

“The question for me is, how do we encourage Kiwis to … get out and about, and visit some of the amazing places and tourism offerings that we have,” she asked.

In an attempt to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, New Zealand instituted one of the world’s strictest lockdowns – along the way gaining recognition for its effectiveness in achieving exactly that.

The island nation of the South Pacific ocean reported 1,503 positive cases of coronavirus and 21 deaths. Over 1,400 of the positively tested patients have since recovered.

It slowly began reopening parts of its economy last week, allowing hair salons, barbershops, some retail outlets and restaurants to open their doors in two months for the first time.

However, its now wilting economy has somewhat overshadowed the country ‘s success in mitigating the spread of the virus.

Last week Ardern said her nation is facing the most challenging economic conditions since the Great Depression. The government has announced its borrowing strategies and investing large sums of capital in an attempt to hold unemployment below 10 percent.

“New Zealand is about to enter a very tough winter,” she said. “But every winter eventually is followed by spring, and if we make the right choices we can get New Zealanders back to work and our economy working quickly again.”