Carlos Slim may be right to call for three-day working week

Carlos Slim is not known for pronouncements on the nature of work. He is better known as one of the two or three richest men in the world – his wealth largely amassed from dominating Mexico's telecommunications industry.

So it came as a surprise when he told a business audience in Paraguay that workers should think about moving to a three-day week, although fewer working days would be compensated by the number of hours worked per shift.

The days would be 11 to 12 hours long, against the 7 to 8 hours that characterises the developed world's usual practice.

He reckons it will allow for four days of leisure, making workers happier and more productive.

According to the Paraguay.com news agency, he said: "With three work days a week, we would have more time to relax; for quality of life. Having four days [off] would be very important to generate new entertainment activities and other ways of being occupied."

Slim will no doubt be at the forefront of developing those entertainment activities. Not that he is primarily concerned with short term profit. Another benefit will be a longer working life, possibly till 75.

Of course, not all jobs will lend themselves to long shifts. But there will be people enticed by the grand bargain. No doubt high transport costs are an incentive to work three long shifts. Also, there is the lure of cheaper, out-of-town housing when commuting is longer, but less frequent.

No doubt, Slim excludes industries where safety and not succumbing to fatigue are priorities. That said, hospitals the world over regularly rely on clinical staff to work 10 to 12 hour shifts at the top of their game. Maybe he is on to something.