Swedish Six-Hour Workday Trial Runs Into Trouble: Too Expensive

Swedish Six-Hour Workday Trial Runs Into Trouble: Too Expensive - Bloomberg:
"Swedes looking forward to a six-hour workday just got some bad news: the costs outweigh the benefits.
That’s according to the preliminary results of a two-year experiment carried out in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, the home of Volvo.
To reduce the 8-hour days at the 68-nurse Svartedalen old people’s home, the city had to hire 17 extra staff at a cost of 12 million kronor ($2.2 million).
The study showed that employees felt healthier, which reduced sick-leave absence, and that patient care improved, but the city won’t push ahead to make the plan permanent.
“It’s associated with higher costs, absolutely,” said Daniel Bernmar, a local left-wing politician responsible for running the municipality’s elderly care.
“It’s far too expensive to carry out a general shortening of working hours within a reasonable time frame...”