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Does the United States’ work model really explain the economic difference compared to Brazil? The analysis shows how productivity, labor laws, wages, charges, and bureaucracy enter into a discussion that goes far beyond the workday.
The publication by Luciano Hang comparing the work scale in Brazil and the United States reignited an explosive discussion: after all, do Brazilians work little, work poorly, or are they crushed by a system that hinders those who want to grow?
The contrast used in the image is direct and provocative. On one side, the United States, with more flexibility, hourly pay, and individual negotiation. On the other, Brazil, with limited work hours, high charges, and labor legislation seen by entrepreneurs as too burdensome. According to World Bank data, the economic difference between the two countries is stark and helps explain why this debate has gained so much traction.
But the question that really bothers is another: would the American model make Brazil richer or just increase the pressure on those who already earn little?
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The comparison that went viral and divided opinions
In the image, the United States appears as the country where people work by the hour, have freedom of work hours, negotiate salary individually and, in theory, earn more when they work more.
Brazil, on the other hand, is portrayed as the country of the 5×2 scale, with work hours controlled by the government, fixed salaries, and high payroll deductions. The message is clear: while Americans would have more freedom to produce, Brazilians would be stuck in a rigid model.
This type of comparison works very well on social media because it touches on a real feeling: millions of Brazilians feel they work a lot, earn little, and see a large part of their salary disappear in taxes, charges, deductions, and cost of living.
Do the United States really have more freedom?
In the United States, federal labor legislation is more flexible in several aspects. According to the general rule of the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt workers must receive overtime pay when they exceed 40 hours per week, with a minimum payment of 1.5 times the normal hourly rate.
Furthermore, U.S. federal law does not impose a general weekly hour limit for workers aged 16 and over. This means that, in many cases, the employee can work more hours and be paid proportionally for it.
This is one of the central points of Hang’s criticism: in a more flexible system, those who want to work more would have more room to increase their own income. For employers, this would also reduce barriers in hiring and organizing schedules.
But the American model is not a paradise
Despite the flexibility, the United States also has problems. Not every worker earns well, many positions are salaried, some employees do not receive overtime pay, and social protection is less than in Brazil.
In other words, the phrase “those who work more earn more” may be true for many hourly workers, but it does not apply to everyone. There are Americans with two jobs, long hours, and little security, just as there are Brazilians who receive commissions, bonuses, overtime, and profit sharing.
The reality is more complex than a social media image can show.
In Brazil, the workweek is not simply 40 hours
Another important point: the image mentions 40 hours per week, but the Brazilian constitutional rule still provides for a normal workday of up to 8 hours daily and 44 hours weekly, with the possibility of compensation or reduction through agreement or collective bargaining.
There are also different schedules in the country, such as 5×2, 6×1, and 12×36, depending on the activity, the contract, and collective negotiation.
Therefore, saying that the entire Brazil operates on a single 5×2 and 40-hour schedule oversimplifies reality. Even so, the criticism about excessive regulations, high hiring costs, and legal uncertainty remains one of the major arguments of the productive sector.
The real problem is productivity
The more serious discussion is not just about working more or less. The decisive point is work productivity.
Productivity means how much value a worker generates per hour worked. And this is where Brazil faces one of its greatest silent defeats. Data from FGV Ibre shows that productivity per hour actually worked in Brazil varied by only 0.1% in 2024, after growing 2.3% in 2023.
This number is alarming because it shows that the country has practically not been able to produce more value per hour. In other words: Brazilians may work a lot, but the economic system does not transform this effort into wealth at the same speed as more developed countries.
Working more is not enough to enrich a country
It is tempting to imagine that simply allowing more working hours would bring Brazil closer to the United States. But this would be a dangerous illusion.
The United States did not become rich just because they have flexible working hours. The country accumulated advantages in education, technology, innovation, capital markets, infrastructure, legal security, economic openness, and industrial productivity.
Brazil, on the other hand, suffers from bureaucracy, complex taxes, informality, low qualification, expensive infrastructure, legal insecurity, and difficulty in investing. All of this weighs on companies and workers.
Therefore, increasing hours without resolving productivity may only generate more fatigue, more turnover, and little additional wealth.
The Brazilian wound: high cost and low return
Hang’s criticism resonates because Brazil indeed has an expensive environment for hiring. Companies face charges, accessory obligations, labor risks, and a bureaucratic burden that often discourages expansion.
At the same time, the worker also feels penalized. The net salary is lower than the total cost paid by the employer, and the perception is that individual effort rarely translates into rapid economic ascent.
This is the Brazilian knot: hiring is expensive, earning well is difficult, and producing more does not always mean getting richer.
Does Brazil need to copy the United States?
Automatically copying the American model would be a mistake. Brazil has a different social structure, different income level, different informality, and a different safety net.
But ignoring the warning would also be dangerous. The country needs to bravely discuss topics such as productivity, hiring costs, professional qualification, economic freedom, legal security, and modernization of labor laws.
The big question is not whether Brazil should become the United States. The question is whether Brazil will continue pretending it can grow with low productivity, high costs, excessive bureaucracy, and little freedom for those who want to produce.
The comparison is uncomfortable because it has a grain of truth
Luciano Hang’s publication exaggerates in some points, but it hits the mark by touching on an open wound: Brazil is falling behind.
While rich countries discuss technology, innovation, and productivity, Brazil remains stuck in old arguments about working hours, scales, charges, and rules that often do not solve the main problem.
In the end, the debate is not just about working more. It’s about making work yield more, generating more wealth, and allowing Brazilians to move from merely surviving to finally prospering.
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