Finnish PM Suggests To Reduce Working Time To Six Hours A Day

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (Twitter / MarinSanna)

JAKARTA - The Prime Minister (PM) of Finland, Sanna Marin, proposed cutting work time from eight hours a day to six hours. He made that statement during a speech within the Social Democratic Party on Monday, August 24.

Marin has been voicing the idea a long time ago, according to Reuters. Now he is increasingly promoting his ideas since the COVID-19 outbreak in Finland.

Marin views that along with shorter working hours, productivity will increase. “We need to create a clear vision and concrete steps on how Finland can continue to shorter working hours. And Finnish employees are headed for a better work life, "he said.

Apart from being more productive, the 34-year-old leader is of the opinion that reducing working hours does not conflict with public financial conditions. Moreover, the level of job availability in Finland has increased from 73.7 percent to 75 percent.

"Wealth resulting from increased labor productivity should be shared not only between owners and investors, but also among ordinary employees," he said.

In addition, Marin also emphasized the government's plan to re-invest in education and the environment. Therefore, he called on entrepreneurs and the government to make green investment in order to improve the economy in Finland.

Currently, Marin is the youngest PM in the world. He has led the Finnish government since December 2019. His policy focus is revolutionary, including directing the government to increase pension benefits, canceling several cuts in government spending, and most recently working six hours a day.