Brazil’s Senate has voted 75–1 to approve a constitutional amendment reducing the full-time workweek from 44 to 40 hours and guaranteeing two paid days off each week. The measure changes the country’s customary six-day working schedule, with the choice of rest days subject to negotiations between unions and employers. The lower house passed an identical measure in May; under Brazil’s constitutional process, presidential approval is not required for it to take effect.
Implementation will proceed in stages to allow employers to reorganize schedules or recruit additional workers. The weekly limit will initially decline to 42 hours, while the additional paid day off will begin 60 days after the amendment’s passage. A further reduction to 40 hours will follow one year later, bringing Brazil’s weekly hours into line with those in the United States. Senate President Davi Alcolumbre emphasized the significance of the extra rest day for workers, saying it would allow more time with their families.
Known as PEC 221, the proposal was introduced in 2019 and originally sought a 34-hour workweek. Although that target was subsequently revised upward to 40 hours, the measure still represents the first legislative adjustment to working hours since 1988. At that time, the full-time workweek was reduced from 48 to 44 hours.
