Changing times: The future of working time in Scotland

Article

In Scotland, a newly established political commitment to reducing working time presents an opportunity to progress the working time debate beyond high-level aspirations to achieve a four-day working week.

How we work is changing. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused acute disruption to workplaces across Scotland – but in response, we have seen workforces and employers come together to carve out new ways of organising work, from changing shift patterns to new forms of flexibility. The new Scottish government has committed to exploring a shorter working week as a step towards a ‘wellbeing economy’, opening up a new conversation about how we organise work.

Across Scotland’s workforce, too many people struggle to make ends meet due to a lack of available hours or are pushed towards working excessively long hours due to low pay and a lack of security. In this report, we propose a roadmap towards shorter working time in Scotland, while recognising that any progressive vision for how we work in the future must also prioritise the twin challenges of over-employment and under-employment.

Related items

  1. Someone's hands holding a mobile phone, with social media likes and heart icons floating out of it like bubbles

    Mapping the digital publics

    How platforms shape collective politics in the UK.
  2. Scottish parliament building at Holyrood and Calton Hill, Edinburgh

    Constructive coalitions? What the election means for the seventh session of the Scottish parliament

    What do the results of the 2026 Scottish parliament election tell us about how Scottish politics is changing? What do progressive parties need to do to get back on track?
  3. A close up photograph of a polling station sign on the outside of a building

    Reimagining lawmaking: How to rebuild trust in parliament

    People feel that politics is something that is done to them, not with them. This must change.