Congress approves changes to Brazil’s working hours

On Wednesday, Brazil's Senate voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to end the 6x1 work schedule, which requires employees to work six days a week with only one day off. This amendment will grant workers two paid days off per week for every five days worked, without any decrease in pay. The bill also aims to reduce the maximum workweek from 44 hours to 40 hours.

The amendment still needs to be officially signed into law by Congress. According to Notícias relacionadas, a study by the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (DIEESE) shows that 73% of Brazilians support reducing working hours. The study, based on data from the 2025 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), indicates that the changes would benefit 26.8 million workers, including 22 million formal-sector employees (54% of formal employees) and around 4.8 million informal workers who currently work over 40 hours per week.

Companies have 60 days from the amendment's enactment to switch to a 5x2 work schedule and decrease the workweek from 44 to 42 hours. If enacted in October, the new rules would take effect in December 2026. Afterwards, the workweek would be further reduced to 40 hours 12 months later, making the entire transition period 14 months.

There are exceptions for outsourced workers in the public sector, who will follow a different transition rule. Employers can also grant alternative work schedules, like a 6x1 schedule, on a case-by-case basis through collective bargaining agreements. Employees must compensate for any additional day worked by taking a day off within the same month, ensuring they receive on average two paid days off per week.

State-employed workers have different transition rules due to the need to avoid disruptions in public services provided through outsourcing. Companies serving the government will have 12 months to eliminate the 6x1 work schedule for their employees, instead of the 60 days granted to other companies.

One important exception is that employees with a college degree earning BRL 21,000 or more per month will not see a reduction in daily working hours. Instead, any reduction in hours will be at the employer's discretion or through a collective bargaining agreement. However, employees under this provision will still be entitled to two days off per week, preferably including Sunday.