Overview
- Congress has received a constitutional amendment on the issue in the Chamber’s Constitution and Justice Committee, and the Lula government says it wants a vote in the first half of 2026.
- Press reports say lawmakers are discussing a cut from 44 to 36 hours per week without salary reductions, preserving rights such as the 13th salary, vacations and transport allowance.
- The director of Sebrae-SP cautioned that an abrupt shift could fuel informality and unemployment, particularly in commerce, food service, tourism and other sectors with continuous demand.
- Labor-law specialists say ending the 6×1 pattern would force companies to redesign shifts and staffing, potentially requiring new hires or more overtime to sustain service levels.
- Baseline data show most of Brazil’s roughly 44 million formal workers logged 44-hour weeks in RAIS 2023, and a new poll reports 73% support ending 6×1 if pay is maintained.