Brazil Debates the Future of the Workweek

For many employees in Brazil, the weekend isn’t really a weekend. Unlike in the US, the standard workweek for CLT employees in Brazil is 44 hours. That often means Monday through Friday, plus a few hours of work on Saturdays.

CLT employees are formal workers with rights guaranteed under Brazil’s labor laws. They’re “on the books,” so to speak, meaning they receive statutory benefits such as paid vacation, a 13th-month salary, FGTS deposits (severance funds), overtime pay, and weekly rest. Under the current rules, these employees typically work a 6x1 schedule: six consecutive days of work followed by one day off.

But that may finally change. Last week, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies approved a proposal to amend the Constitution to reduce the standard workweek. Under the new proposal, CLT employees would be entitled to a 40-hour workweek and two days of rest, preferably including Sunday. Despite the shortened hours, employee salaries would remain unchanged.

The reduction from 44 to 40 hours would occur during a transition period. Two months after the amendment takes effect, employees would receive two days off, and the workweek would drop to 42 hours. One year later, the final 40-hour weekly limit would go into effect.

For now, the constitutional amendment has been sent to the Senate for further discussion and voting. It’s unclear what will happen next. Critics argue the change could increase labor costs and create operational challenges for certain industries. But for employees, the amendment represents a long-awaited shift toward a healthier work-life balance.