Mr Stronge added that previous research had mostly focused on the private sector, adding that the pilot showed there were similar benefits for private sector workers.
“These groundbreaking results show that the public sector can reap similar benefits, including improved productivity, employee well-being, and work-life balance.
“As the introduction of AI accelerates across industries, it’s crucial that workers in both the public and private sectors experience the benefits of these advancements and one of the easiest ways of achieving this is by shortening the working week.”
In July, the Liberal Democrat-run South Cambridgeshire District Council became the first local authority in the UK to permanently adopt the four-day working pattern after running a similar trial.
The authority said an independent report, from the universities of Salford, Bradford and Cambridge, highlighted how 21 out of 24 services at the council had improved or stayed the same since the four-day week began in 2023.
The authority said the report also showed the number of job applicants had risen by more than 120% and there were ongoing yearly savings of £399,263, due to reduced agency staff costs.