Belgium's Council of Ministers agreed on Friday to launch a research project on the potential effects of a collective reduction in working hours, according to Secretary of State for Science Policy Thomas Dermine.
The project, which was approved at an electronic meeting of the Council, will assess the effect of such a reduction on productivity, jobs, well-being and the financial health of companies.
The Federal Science Policy office, Belspo, is responsible for selecting and funding the scientific team that will conduct a survey of companies, coupled with an experiment on reduced working hours.
The aim is to obtain “balanced responses” on the effects of a collective reduction in working hours. The institute to be commissioned to conduct the study will do so in close collaboration with the Federal Planning Bureau, which will be involved in the selection process.
