Working in Brazil

Hours, culture, working conditions

Working in Brazil

If you apply for a Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência Social and take up legal employment in Brazil, you will find the same working conditions which you are probably used to from your home country.

In Brazil the maximum working hours per week are usually 40 to 44 hours, depending upon whether the employee works 5 or 6 days a week.

The Brazilian Labour Law prescribes an annual vacation of 30 days which should be taken all at once or divided in two parts (one half must be of at least 20 days).

Brazilian workers are eligible for full-time employment already at the age of 14 but there are certain protective regulations covering adolescents aged 14 to 18.

Brazilian labour unions

There are several thousand unions and umbrella organisations in Brazil which are supposed to support full-time workers. The Brazilian Trade Union Federation (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores) has made protection of employees and health policies one of its top priorities. Yet as most employees in Brazil work without an official work contract they have no access to the support of a labour union.

Further reading

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