Government to discuss four-day working week

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A four-day working week for companies struggling to keep staff during the recession is one suggestion that will be discussed at next week's jobs summit, the Government has confirmed.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key said tonight hundreds of ideas were coming through and they would all be considered at the February 27 meeting of ministers, business representatives and trade unions.

The four-day week is one of them. It could not be established tonight whether the suggestion came from a government department or the private sector.

TV One News reported it involved companies that were in difficulty moving to a four-day week, instead of having to lay off staff.

On the fifth day, the staff would work on community projects, with the Government picking up the tab, or go into government-sponsored training.

It is understood ministers are interested in the suggestion but don't see it as any sort of silver bullet solution.

Finance Minister Bill English said on One News the Government was open to any suggestions that came up at the jobs summit.

"It's not going to work if we're going to prejudge things or rule too many things out," he said.

He was cautious about the extent of any government contribution to a four-day week scheme.

"The Government's books aren't in good shape. There won't be room to spend large amounts of money," he said.

Mr Key called the jobs summit to find ways to get New Zealand through the recession with minimum damage.

He is looking for ideas that can be turned into reality, particularly to help small and medium-sized businesses get through without losing their staff.

Ministers have said if that happened, it could be difficult for the businesses to get them back when the economy rebounds.

- NZPA