The Canadian government has struck a commission to look into the prospects
of a 4 day work week. The comission will be headed by Arthur Donner, an
economist here in Toronto who is a consultant and teaches part time in my
department. It already knows that a workshare approach is frought with lots
of problems and policy issues w/r to the fixed component of job costs to the
employer, and that may people work 5+ days a week just to survive so how are
they going to survive on 4 days and 80% or less of previous income. Never the
less, the commission should produce some interesting food for thought. At the
moment the government (Statistics Canada) says that industry is operation at
about "full capacity" (85% of utilization) but, alas, unemployment is stuck at
around 11%. Maybe we will add the "full capacity level of unemployment" to the
"full employment level of unemployment". Policy could argue about which is the
correct target. That is easier than arguing about levels and it would not be
over the heads of the current crop of policy makers.
Sam Lanfranco, York U. CANADA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
