This is the first pilot project in Spain to test a four‑day workweek, set at 32 hours per week, with the initiative starting next week. The Ministry of Industry, chaired by Reyes Maroto, will announce the opening lineup of the program this week for small and medium enterprises in the industrial sector and for consultancies that specialize in the relevant activities. Grants of up to 150,000 euros are promised to companies that commit to implementing this work structure for two years, according to information from El Periódico of the Prensa Ibérica group.
Ministry technicians have spent several weeks racing against the clock to address the technical challenges related to electric vehicles while also meeting the commitment to launch the four‑day workweek pilot before the end of 2022. Maroto fulfilled the deadlines, signing the decree that opens the aid contest last Friday, with the official announcement expected to follow within the week.
This marks Spain’s first government experiment with a four‑day week, following a pioneering project in the Generalitat Valenciana that has been underway for almost two years. Spain joins a growing wave of European experiments aimed at reducing the number of days worked. For instance, the United Kingdom began its pilot in 2022 with 70 participating companies — a similar scale to those in Spain — and Portugal is conducting trials in the public sector.
The Spanish program offers stronger protections for workers by examining both the benefits and potential drawbacks of a one‑day reduction in paid working hours. It does not require a reduction in take‑home pay or an extension of the workday. In other European countries, examples exist such as Belgium, which has approved a four‑day option with longer hours on the remaining days. In Spain, some companies like Desigual and Telefónica have already reduced hours within their own operations, occasionally accompanied by non‑proportional salary adjustments.
The initiative, launched during budget negotiations the previous year when Más País supported the plan in exchange for a public budget to back the four‑day week, has since been shaped and directed by the Ministry of Industry. Preliminary estimates suggest the pilot could include 60 to 70 companies as the program progresses.
10 million budget
The total funding for the program is set at 10 million euros, with qualified firms able to receive up to 150,000 euros to offset salary costs. The support can be used to hire additional staff to cover hours not worked by others or to recruit specialized profiles that enable internal restructuring to reduce overall hours. In addition to salary subsidies, other forms of assistance cover education for workers, measures to boost efficiency, and internal audits to assess the outcomes of the approach.
Lessons from similar experiments in other countries emphasize the importance of reorganizing business processes. The goal is to remove downtime, raise productivity during working hours, and ensure that fewer hours do not lead to increased stress or lower results. The approach focuses on maintaining or improving output while slimming the weekly schedule, rather than simply cutting pay.
Aid will be distributed through a competitive bidding process. Applicants who meet the requirements and are among the first to apply will gain priority access to the program. Once the budget is exhausted, remaining candidates will be excluded. Participating SMEs commit to operating on a four‑day week (32 hours) for at least two years. Productivity gains supporting the hour reduction should materialize within the first year. At the end of the pilot, the Ministry of Industry will collect data, issue a comprehensive report, and evaluate the outcomes. [Source: government notices and budget documents; for context see associated public communications]