Reduced working hours should generate 4,5 million new jobs, study indicates.

Reducing the work week from 44 to 36 hours would result in the creation of up to 4,5 million new jobs and increase productivity levels in Brazil by approximately 4%. These projections are based on a survey conducted by economist Marilane Teixeira, a researcher at the Center for Trade Union and Labor Economics Studies (Cesit) of the Institute of Economics (IE) at Unicamp, and are part of a diagnosis made by experts to measure the impacts of the measure on the economy and the country.

Called the “6x1 Dossier,” the document concludes that Brazil “is ready to work less,” contradicting market projections that the change could cause a drop in gross domestic product (GDP) and worsen corporate insolvency levels. The study also refutes the idea that Brazilians work less than the world average.

The dossier comprises 37 articles, written by 63 authors, including professors, researchers, members of the judiciary, labor inspectors, and union representatives. Eighteen reviewers also participated in its preparation. The material is being published weekly simultaneously on 19 websites, including the IE website.

Discover: the published dossier.

Conducted by researchers at Cesit based on the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua) from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the study shows that approximately 21 million workers in the country work more than the 44 hours per week stipulated in the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). It also indicates that 76,3% of employed people in Brazil work more than 40 hours per week, with 58,7% of all employees working between 40 and 44 hours per week. According to the expert, this is evidence that Brazilians are among the hardest working people in the world.

Marilane Teixeira points out that there are niches of workers, in areas such as education, health, public service and industry, with working hours of less than 44 hours per week, but she makes a reservation:

“We are not talking about that contingent. There is a segment of 18% of the workforce that works between 45 and 49 hours a week, or 58,7% that works between 40 and 44 hours. If reduction is already possible in several sectors, why can't it happen in commerce and services?”, the professor asks.

The economist's diagnosis also shows that around 4,5 million people are in what is called underemployment. "They would like to work more, but they can't find jobs," she says.

“Furthermore, we have a very high level of informality, which generally far exceeds 44 hours. There are also cases of overtime. Since the labor reforms of 2017, the possibility of paying overtime through a time bank, and not as remuneration, has been opened,” she recalls. “This argument that Brazil already works little definitely doesn't hold water,” says the economist.

 6x1 Round

The reduction in working hours is expected to be voted on in Congress this semester. One of the proposals under consideration prohibits the so-called 6x1 schedule (one day off for every six days of work), replacing it with a 4x3 schedule (four days of work and three days off each week). According to the study, this change would directly affect 76 million workers.

Even if the reduction is to 40 hours per week, on a 5x2 schedule – as certain sectors of Congress want – the change would still affect the lives of approximately 45 million workers. The last change in this regard occurred almost 38 years ago, with the 1988 Constitution, when the legal work week in Brazil dropped from 48 hours to the current 44 hours.

The study assesses the repercussions of changes in working hours on household consumption, public policies aimed at reducing racial and gender inequalities, and worker illness rates.

“In 2024, we had half a million absences due to psychosocial illnesses resulting from unfavorable working conditions,” argues the professor. “And we are talking about formal employment. This doesn't refer to the other half of the working class who are self-employed or in the informal sector and who are also subjected to exhausting and stressful working conditions,” she says.

"Therefore, the end of the 6x1 work schedule is a cry, a plea for help. These workers want to live beyond work and want the right to leisure," he warned.

Exemption

The professor from Unicamp points out that the business sector very frequently turns to the Brazilian state when it needs to address structural changes. Generally, it seeks exemptions, incentives, or tax breaks.

 “This is historic. It’s part of the profile of Brazil’s ruling class,” she says. “They don’t want to give an inch. They don’t want to lose absolutely anything,” she adds. “But the government doesn’t have to give anything at all, because this sector has gained a lot in recent decades. What we have to do now is reverse those gains precisely for the benefit of the worker,” she recommends.

According to her, complaints and pessimistic predictions also arose when policies such as the minimum wage, the institution of the 13th-month salary, and other issues involving the fight for labor rights, such as the registration of domestic workers, were implemented.

Country ready

According to the group of economists and researchers, Brazil is ready for a reduction in working hours. Teixeira points out that the last change occurred precisely in the 1980s, in a much more unfavorable context than today's.

“In the 80s, the Brazilian economy was going backwards. It was considered a lost decade, with a drop in GDP, a high unemployment rate, high inflation, and external debt. From an economic point of view, it was a disaster, and yet the work week was reduced to 44 hours,” he reflects.

"This didn't cause companies to go bankrupt, nor did it generate unemployment. There is no study that indicates that reducing the work week to 44 hours in the 80s led to a drop in GDP or a higher unemployment rate," he challenges.

"So it's not going to happen now, with technological advances, in a context of full employment, with economic growth and the level of technology we have, that it will be possible in Brazil to reduce it to 40 hours," he argues.

She points out that labor productivity grew at an average annual rate of 6,5% between 1990 and 2000. This was due to investments in technology, worker training, and the reorganization of companies.

Another factor caught the researcher's attention. "People no longer want to work such long hours. Today, many companies are already using the 5x2 work schedule as an incentive," she said.

The professor says it's a mistake to imagine that the reduction will paralyze the economy. "They (the market) made a calculation as if the economy were paralyzed for three days and only functioning for four, which is not true," she argues.