Will we no longer have to work 40 hours? A proposal to shorten the workweek will be presented to the government

In Ukraine they have proposed reducing the working week from the traditional 40 to 32 hours while keeping employees’ full wages. For this, the Cabinet of Ministers is being urged to initiate changes to the Labor Code of Ukraine.

The corresponding electronic petition No.41/010242-26еп was registered on the Cabinet’s website on July 3, 2026. The author of the appeal is listed as Anna Pavlenko. The initiative is not yet a bill or a government decision, so there will be no automatic transition of Ukrainians to the new schedule.

The author proposes to set the maximum standard working time at no more than 4 working days or 32 hours per week. Wages are requested not to be reduced, and employees – to be guaranteed the right to full rest.–

Currently Article 50 of the Labor Code of Ukraine provides that the normal duration of working time cannot exceed 40 hours per week. At the same time, enterprises can already establish a shorter working time standard through a collective agreement. The petition does not propose immediately switching the entire country to the new schedule. First, the author calls for a mandatory state pilot project, identifying specific sectors, budgetary institutions and private enterprises that will be the first to test the 4-day work regime. After evaluating the results, this experience is proposed to be extended to all of Ukraine.

The author explains the need for the reform by the prolonged psychological burden on Ukrainians due to the war, air-raid alerts, Russian shelling, lack of sleep and chronic stress. In her view, an additional day off will help people restore their nervous systems, undergo treatment, spend more time with family and reduce professional burnout.

The petition also refers to foreign experiments in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Iceland. The author claims that after shortening the working week, productivity in some cases increased by 15–35%, the number of sick days fell by 65%, and 71% of workers reported a reduction in professional burnout. These are the arguments cited in the petition, not the results of a Ukrainian government study.

Among possible economic benefits the author names reduced employer costs for maintaining offices, electricity and logistics, lower staff turnover and reduced recruitment expenses. An additional day off, in her view, could also support domestic tourism, the service sector, culture, sport, and small and medium-sized businesses.

Explaining the main goal of the proposed reform, the petition’s author emphasizes that reducing the number of working days should not mean a reduction in the work performed. To implement the initiative, collecting signatures on the petition is not enough. Even after the petition is considered, the government would have to prepare legislative changes, and the final decision on amendments to the Labor Code of Laws must be adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Earlier we wrote:

• Average salary in Ukraine in May rose to 30,961 UAH
• The budget is emptying, while municipal enterprise directors receive millions: calls for inspections in Mykolaiv
• “Love Ukraine for money”: head of “Ukrposhta” called those dissatisfied with his salary “goats”
• Digitization of employment record books: what will happen to work experience if you don’t make it in time
• The Cabinet changed the conditions of reservation for critically important enterprises