Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 1:54 pm on 15 June 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 1:54, 15 June 2022

I think we'll want to look at the models of flexibility that exist and how they can benefit workers and businesses. Actually, we found, during the forced circumstances of the past two years and more, that flexible working has suited lots of workers in the public and private sectors, and that's made—. Some of the concerns previously about flexible working were that people wouldn't take it seriously, and, actually, we found real productivity gains in a range of sectors, as well as a better balance between work and life. So, the broader point about flexible working is one that we are positive about, and it does inform the way the Welsh Government behaves as an employer, and it will certainly affect the way that lots of our public sector partners are looking at how to deliver effective public services that won't always require people to be in one physical location five days a week. We're very interested in the four-day week pilot, and not just Luke Fletcher, but the Member for Alyn and Deeside, of course, has been a regular advocate for changes to the pattern of the working week as well. So, we do want to understand what will happen when the pilot's been done, what that then means for Wales, and how that may then be applied.

Much of this, though, of course, is for employers to implement. You talked earlier about the role of trade unions; many trade unions would want to see something like this happen because there's a real interest and demand from their members. There will be some employers, though, where it won't be possible. Just as, in the pandemic, there were people who physically had to be in work, there are some people where, actually, the patterns and the size of the business will mean that a four-day working week can't happen. That doesn't mean, though, that we'll shut down interest in those areas where it could happen to provide a real benefit for both workers and, as we've seen, a benefit for businesses, with improvements in productivity and people's commitment to work, and indeed the balance with life outside work.