Since 2014, Israel has been ranked sixth among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the grouping of the world’s developed capitalist countries, in the average number of hours worked per year. The average Israel worked 1,853 hours that year, compared to an OECD average of 1,770. In Western Europe the averages are even lower. In the Netherlands, for example, the average was 1,420 in 2014, and in Norway it was just two hours longer, while in Switzerland it was 1,568.

The time may have come to change the situation. On May Day of last year, several Knesset members, led by Hadash MK Dov Khenin (Joint List), proposed an amendment to the law on maximum working hours that would shorten the work week to 35 hours. Similar bills had been submitted in the past by Khenin and by former Hadash MK Issam Makhoul, both of them members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Israel.

“Israelis work more hours but nevertheless more families are joining the ranks of the poor,” Khenin says. “The amendment that we are proposing will contribute to the fight against unemployment. It will allow additional workers to be employed, employers will increase their workforces, and finally it will make it possible to devote more time to leisure and family.” Khenin is promoting another bill that would add an additional day of rest during the week, giving workers a long weekend.