Overview
- Congress promulgated the amendment on Friday, October 16, 2026, after the Chamber of Deputies approved it in May and the Federal Senate backed it by 75 votes to 1.
- The change replaces the six‑days‑on/one‑day‑off model with a five‑day workweek and applies chiefly to employees covered by the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT).
- Under the law employers must adopt a 5x2 schedule about 60 days after promulgation and cut the statutory weekly cap to 42 hours, with a final reduction to 40 hours 12 months later.
- Trade unions estimate about 22 million workers could benefit and praise added rest and family time, while large business groups warn the rule will raise per‑hour labor costs by up to 22% and have projected up to 1.2 million job losses as a potential outcome rather than an established fact.
- Key things to watch are how collective bargaining shapes sector exceptions (health, security, gastronomy), how firms adjust shifts and overtime pay, and whether the cost pressures outlined by industry translate into hiring or price changes that affect workers and consumers.