Part-timers make up more than a third of the Dutch workforce, the largest proportion in the OECD. Workers have the right to reduce their hours on the job unless there's a “substantial business reason” not to, and many are only too happy to do so. And it certainly helps that salaries in the Netherlands are among the highest in the world.

A shorter working week is already standard for many people in the country, and the nation's largest trade union, FNV, is pushing for a 32-hour, four-day working week for all employees.

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