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Redazione RHC : 13 December 2025 09:53
The prospect of a four-day workweek, with a resulting three-day long weekend, may not be far off. This is according to Christopher A. Pissarides , a British-Cypriot economist and Nobel Prize winner, who in a recent interview explained how technological transformation is reshaping the timing and methods of work.
Looking at two centuries of industrialization, he explained that the reduction of working hours is a historical constant: from the seven working days of the first industrial era, we have moved to the current five, and the next step – he says – is a four-day working week.
A professor at the London School of Economics and the European Institute at the University of Cyprus, Pissarides is considered one of the world’s leading experts in labor economics and the theory of labor market friction . He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010, along with Dale Mortensen and Peter Diamond, for their studies on the impact of public policies on unemployment, vacancies, and wages. In 2013, he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
On December 9th, his speech was the highlight of the inaugural conference of the “Taiwan Bridge Project,” held at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) . The auditorium was packed with students, many of whom were concerned about the risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence. Pissarides engaged with them, answering questions collected by the university, addressing topics ranging from the transformation of work to the prospects for Taiwan’s tech industry.
NCKU President Shen Meng-ru met with the Nobel laureate after the event, thanking him for bringing fresh insights at a time when the university is receiving significant international recognition, including ranking 35th globally in the 2026 Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Rankings.
Originally from Cyprus, Pissarides moved to the United Kingdom at 17 to study. Initially interested in architecture, he later turned to economics, where he conducted extensive research on the dynamics between job quality, mental and physical health, and the impact of automation. He is the co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Work in London and the author of The Theory of Equilibrium Unemployment , considered a benchmark in the field.
In his speech, the professor described a technological landscape marked by opposing visions of the future of AI. Geoffrey Hinton , winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, believes that intelligent systems could escape human control; conversely, Demis Hassabis , winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and CEO of Google DeepMind, argues that AI could lead to breakthrough solutions for many diseases in the next ten years . Both Hassabis and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predict the arrival of AGI within five to ten years, capable of performing most of the tasks performed by humans today.
Pissarides, however, distances himself from those, like Elon Musk, who claim that AI will eliminate all human work. According to the Nobel Prize winner, every technological revolution leads to the disappearance of some professions and the emergence of new ones, as has already happened in the past. He cited China’s experience between the 1980s and the early 2000s, when millions of workers moved from agriculture to manufacturing, in what he calls the largest occupational migration in recent history.
The current challenge, he explained, is to streamline this transition between sectors. The main obstacles are the lack of up-to-date skills and information asymmetries in the labor market. For this reason, he reiterated, continuous learning is crucial in the AI era: the most important skill is “learning to learn,” with a solid foundation in STEM and ongoing training. A McKinsey Global Institute survey, he noted, shows that companies that invest at least 75 hours per year in training per employee achieve better results.
Among the skills most in demand among young people, Pissarides includes the ability to analyze data, communicate effectively, make informed decisions, and possess soft skills such as empathy and collaboration.
The Nobel Prize winner also cited a personal incident: his son asked ChatGPT if his father could become Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom. The AI responded that Pissarides would be an excellent member of Parliament, but it didn’t have enough information to judge his suitability for the ministerial role. The professor recounts the anecdote with irony: “After that answer, I didn’t apply.”
Regarding the relationship between workers and the future of employment, he cited a survey by the American Psychological Association: flexibility, attention to mental health, the ability to work remotely, and a three-day weekend are now among the factors most valued by people when choosing their job.
Retracing two centuries of economic development, Pissarides believes it’s plausible that the four-day workweek will gradually become the norm. When asked which model workers would prefer—six half-days with only one day off, or three days on and four off—he observes that most would choose the latter option.
Although he currently works six days a week, Pissarides says he’s looking forward to a future long weekend: “I hope the short week comes soon,” he says with a smile. In the UK, some companies have already introduced this model, although it’s not yet a national standard. He believes the trend is set to spread globally, with the exception of the United States, where many high-income groups maintain busy schedules.
Finally, speaking about the Taiwanese economy, he praised the growth of the semiconductor industry, but warned of the risks of excessive sectoral concentration . He cited Cyprus and Greece as examples of economies dependent on tourism, severely impacted by external events such as conflicts or pandemics: “It is not prudent to base an economy on a single sector,” he warned, calling for diversification to reduce vulnerability.
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