In the first year, an upper limit of 2184 hours is allowed. This upper limit will then be reduced by 52 hours per year, so that the maximum length of 1872 hours will be reached in the subsequent 6 years. A maximum of 100 hours overtime per year and employee. In the short-run an increase in unit labour costs. According to the supporters of the SGB referendum, unemployment should fall and productivity should rise.
Employer organisations are more sceptical.
Due to the current shortage of high-qualified workers in Switzerland, a reduction of the average working time would only aggravate this situation. Combating unemployment has therefore ceased to be a topic of importance in public debate. In fact, due to the current shortage of labour, a reduction of the average working time could have negative effects on the economy, especially on the rate of economic growth. The SGB referendum, however, only foresees a corresponding reduction in earnings for workers who earn more than 1.5 times the average, i.e., only for a minority of workers. At least in the short-run, this will lead to higher labour costs, which may have a negative effect on employment.