The UK to get a three-day working week in 2027

Several studies have shown that a shorter working week can reduce stress, illness, whilst maintaining productivity – and there’s nothing that proves that like a bank holiday weekend.

The majority of the UK had a four-day work week last week and will continue it this week thanks to the Easter bank holidays.

Now though, people in jobs that allow bank holidays off have been given a major boost as the government have confirmed that in 2027 there will be a three-day working week.

What’s more, if you’re sneaky with your use of time off you can get a full ten days straight off work by just taking those three days as holiday.

When are the bank holidays in 2027 and when is the three-day working week?

The government confirmed the bank holiday dates for 2027 and 2028 in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with all four set to receive a three-day work week in December of 2027.

This comes into place due to the rules around bank holidays falling on weekends, with the government stating that these must then be replaced with weekdays to make up for this.

In 2027 the week after Christmas will have only a three day work week (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

In 2027 Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall on a Saturday and Sunday, meaning that the following week will only have three working days.

The full list of bank holidays for 2027 and 2028 in England and Wales are:

2027

- January 1 – New Year’s Day

- March 26 – Good Friday

- March 29 – Easter Monday

- May 3 – Early May bank holiday

- May 31 – Spring bank holiday

- August 30 – Summer bank holiday

- December 27 – Christmas Day (substitute day)

- December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)

2028

- January 3, 2028– New Year’s Day (substitute day)

- April 14 – Good Friday

- April 17 – Easter Monday

- May 1 – Early May bank holiday

- May 29 – Spring bank holiday

- August 28 – Summer bank holiday

- December 25 – Christmas Day

- December 26 – Boxing Day

This means that, by taking the 29^th, 30^th, and 31^st of 2027, you can have holiday all the way from Christmas Eve to the 4^th of January, 2028, due to New Year’s Day also being a holiday.

If you find yourself less stressed that week, or even this week after the Easter break, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Several organisations, such as the 4 Day Week foundation, promotes the idea that, by having a four-day-32-hour-work week with the same pay, productivity, work life balance, and happiness will all increase.

In addition to this, a 2023 report by advocacy group 4 Day Week Global found that workers actually managed higher levels of productivity even when working shorter hours.

An 18 month Pilot programme in the UK and Ireland found that this reduced burnout and improved overall health, whilst also improving the profits of the companies involved by 15%.