Brazil's Senate has approved a constitutional amendment reducing the workweek from 44 to 40 hours and granting employees two days off, infohub.kz reports.
Seventy-five of the 76 senators voted in favor of the measure. Previously, full-time employment in Brazil was defined as 44 hours a week with one mandatory day off. The new rules bring the country's schedules in line with standards in the United States and other major economies.
The changes will take effect gradually: in 60 days the limit will drop to 42 hours, and a year later to 40.
The lower house of parliament approved the initiative back in May. The bill won support from both the country's sitting president and his main political opponent. Brazil's labor legislation had not seen such amendments since 1988, when the standard workweek was cut from 48 to 44 hours.
The extra day off will allow citizens to spend more time with their families. Companies and employers have been given lead time to restructure shift schedules or hire additional staff to maintain previous output levels.