105 Companies Apply for Gyeonggi's 4.5-Day Workweek Pilot Project
Work-Life Balance Equals Competitiveness
"Reduced Working Hours" Experiment Expands Across Various Industries
Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Job Foundation announced on April 29 that they have finalized the selection of 83 companies to participate in the "2025 Gyeonggi 4.5-Day Workweek Pilot Project."
This figure significantly exceeds the original target of 50 companies, demonstrating the high level of interest and willingness to participate among businesses in the province. Contrary to some concerns that participation would be concentrated among IT companies, which generally have more flexible working hours, more than half of the applicants were manufacturers, confirming the potential for participation across a diverse range of industries.
Among the applicants, there were cases where companies that had already reduced their working hours to 35 hours per week and found the results effective applied to further reduce them to 30 hours. Some companies also showed strong interest and thorough preparation by piloting reduced working hours on their own since March 2025 in order to participate in the Gyeonggi project.
By industry, the selected companies include: 40 in manufacturing, 12 in services, 10 in information and communications, 9 in wholesale and retail, 5 in professional, scientific, and technical services, 5 in construction, and 2 in other sectors.
This pilot project is a system that supports companies in reducing working hours by choosing one of the following options through autonomous labor-management agreements: a 4.5-day workweek, a 35-hour workweek, a biweekly 4-day workweek, or a hybrid model. The core goal is to realize work-life balance and create a healthy working environment by reducing working hours without wage cuts.
Selected companies will receive a wage compensation incentive of up to 260,000 won per worker per month, and up to 20 million won per company in support funds, which can be used for process improvement, process consulting, implementation of attendance management systems, and other benefits.
Gyeonggi Province plans to use this pilot project to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of reduced working hours, and to contribute to establishing the institutional foundation for nationwide expansion in the future.
Kim Taekeun, Director of Labor at Gyeonggi Province, said, "We are grateful for the interest and participation of so many companies, and we hope this project will serve as an opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the province and to spread a healthy labor culture."
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Job Foundation plan to recruit additional participating companies in response to the high level of interest from local businesses.
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