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PEC that reduces working hours to 40 and ends the 6×1 schedule divides government, Chamber, and companies, while studies project increased costs, food inflation, and up to 2.7 million formal jobs at risk
The reduction of working hours from 44 to 40 per week, along with the end of the 6×1 schedule, is under discussion in the Chamber as a measure to improve workers’ quality of life, but studies cited by business entities project significant economic effects, such as increased costs, inflation, loss of income, and up to 2.7 million formal jobs at risk.
Reduction of working hours hits the low productivity of Brazil
The proposal under consideration in Congress is based on the idea of reducing working time without reducing salaries.
For the government, the change would help increase rest and improve quality of life. The main point of criticism, however, is productivity.
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Virgílio Marques dos Santos, partner at the São Paulo startup FM2S, based in the Unicamp technology park, states that the PEC treats the reduction of working hours as if it were a complete solution to a deeper problem.
According to him, the issue is not only the number of hours worked, but also the lack of tools, efficient management, training, and adequate infrastructure.
Brazil ranks 94th out of 184 countries in the productivity ranking, generating US$ 21.2 per hour worked, according to data from the International Labour Organization. For Santos, this scenario should be at the center of the discussion.
The State of the Global Workplace 2026 report by Gallup also reinforces this point by indicating that only 20% of workers worldwide are engaged in their work.
The assessment is that reducing hours without addressing leadership, management, and organization tends to produce limited effects.
Informality leaves about 40 million out of the direct effect
Another relevant point is that the change would not affect the entire Brazilian workforce. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics show that 38.1% of the country’s workers are outside the CLT regime.
In practice, this means that about 40 million people would be outside the direct effects of the measure. The reduction of working hours would have an immediate impact on formal workers but would not reach a large part of the national market.
Even among formal employees, there are doubts about the real gain in quality of life. Santos assesses that, given the indebtedness of families and the pressure on income, part of the free time could turn into a search for additional income.
Data from Serasa in April 2026 shows that 83.3 million people, equivalent to 50.8% of the adult population, were in debt. This situation limits the ability to use free time solely for rest.
Government and Chamber discuss transition period
The processing of the PEC also involves disagreement over the pace of change. The rapporteur Leo Prates, from the Republicans of Bahia, and the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta, from the Republicans of Paraíba, advocate a three-year transition.
The proposal supported by Prates and Motta foresees a phased reduction: one hour after 120 days of enactment and the others at annual intervals, until reaching a 40-hour workweek.
The government, on the other hand, wants to shorten this period and discusses rules for overtime during the transition. The debate also involves categories that currently work less than 40 hours a week.
There is concern that some groups may experience an increase in workload, especially in sectors such as tourism and hospitality. These segments have continuous operations, working on weekends, holidays, and periods of high demand.
CNI estimates annual loss of R$ 77 billion in GDP
The National Confederation of Industry calculates that reducing the workweek from 44 to 40 hours, without a salary reduction, would cause an annual loss of 0.7% of GDP, equivalent to approximately R$ 77 billion.
The impact would be uneven across sectors. The industry would see a 1.2% drop in sectoral GDP. Next comes commerce, with a 0.9% decline, and services, with a 0.8% decrease.
The total cost for companies could reach R$ 267.2 billion per year, with an increase of up to 7% in the payroll.
The president of CNI, Ricardo Alban, warned of the need to consider the country’s productive diversity and the size of companies.
The Federation of Commerce of Goods, Services, and Tourism of the State of São Paulo states that, without a proportional reduction in salaries, the cost of labor would rise by 22%. The entity assesses that this increase would be passed on to the final consumer.
The Parliamentary Front of Agriculture calculates the same percentage increase in the field. According to CNI, the cost increase could reach supermarkets, with a rise of up to 5.7% in food prices.
Studies point to risk for jobs and smaller companies
The Public Leadership Center released a study in February 2026 on the reduction of working hours. The report acknowledged that the measure may be desirable from a well-being perspective but pointed to a high risk in a low productivity environment.
According to the CLP, reducing to 40 hours without salary reduction automatically increases the cost of labor per hour. Large companies could reorganize processes and adopt technology, but small and medium-sized ones would have less room for adaptation.
The study projects a risk of cutting up to 640,000 jobs. A more recent survey by the CNI points to a more severe scenario, with a loss of up to 2.7 million formal jobs.
João Gabriel Pio, chief economist of the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais, states that large corporations have more room to absorb costs, while smaller companies operate with tight margins.
The Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation analyzed a more radical scenario, with a 36-hour workweek. In this case, there would be a 6.2% contraction in hours worked and an equivalent drop in the wealth generated by the country.
Researcher Fernando de Holanda Barbosa Filho assesses that if the cost of labor reduces the demand for labor and productivity does not compensate, the wealth generated could fall by more than 10%.
Construction, logistics, tourism, and aviation concentrate impacts
In civil construction, a survey by the Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry indicates the need to hire 288,000 new workers to make up for the reduced hours.
The study indicates that 88.5% of companies foresee an increase in labor costs, passing it on to consumers in the form of more expensive properties. In public works, 86.8% of companies project cost increases in ongoing contracts.
The CNI estimates that the global increase in construction costs could reach 13.2%. In freight transport and logistics, the Federation of Freight Transport and Logistics Companies in the State of Santa Catarina projects an 18% increase in payroll.
The Setcepar, the sector’s union in Paraná, warns that more rest periods could worsen the shortage of drivers. Transport companies are already facing a 10.1% lag in freight value compared to operational costs.
In tourism, the Forum of Hotel Operators of Brazil states that the stiffening of schedules would increase costs and pressure inflation in tourism services. The sector requests compensations, such as payroll tax exemptions and fiscal incentives.
In aviation, the CEO of Latam Brazil, Jerome Cadier, warned that if the restriction affects crew and pilots, international flights would become unfeasible, as safety regulations require rest periods incompatible with long-haul flights.
This article was prepared based on information from business entities, research institutes, IBGE, ILO, Gallup, Serasa, CNI, FecomercioSP, Parliamentary Front of Agriculture, CLP, FGV Ibre, CBIC, Fetransesc, Setcepar, FOHB, Latam Brazil, and statements attributed in the source material, with data, numbers, and statements preserved as per the consulted material.
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