Chile is set to reduce weekly working hours from 45 to 40 hours after parliamentary approval, a decision that contradicts the work system in the rest of Latin America.

Chile joins Ecuador, which has the shortest working week in Latin America, the continent with the longest official working hours in the world, with Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Panama working 48 hours per week, while Brazilians work about 44 hours per week.

The law is the opposite of reality

It is noteworthy that most countries of the world have enacted laws to guarantee workers' rights, limit working hours and protect employees from being forced to work overtime, but the reality indicates otherwise, and this behavior is not limited to developing countries.

For example, the phenomenon of "karoshi" or death from overwork is famous in Japan, with 40 hours per week, but the level of labor violations is high, which prompted the Japanese government to pass a law in 2018 that limits overtime to 30 hours per month.

However, a study last year found that 37% of 18,80 companies require employees to work overtime at a rate of <> unpaid hours per month.

The United States is also known for its weekly overtime, with employees under pressure from employers, especially in sectors such as economics, law, finance, and technology, while many lawyers have to work up to 60 hours a week in order to meet their working hours.

Employment in Japan and the United States is famous for weekly overtime (Shutterstock)

South Korea plans to raise working hours

According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, working hours in the United States average 1791,442 hours per year, more than 301 times higher than the average annual working hours in Germany and more than <> hours in France.

Not all countries in the world follow Chile's lead in reducing working hours. By contrast, South Korea had planned this year to raise the maximum working hours from 52 to 69 hours, after many companies complained that the current system was not helping to meet production deadlines, but the government was forced to reconsider the proposed plans amid workers' protests. In 2021, South Korea officially worked 1915,<>.

In France, weekly working hours have been set at 35 hours at the turn of the new millennium. Although the decision was seen as a way to improve work-life balance, the reality is that the measure aims to reduce unemployment, which has reached a record high of 12.5%, and to set the point after which paid overtime work begins.

Number of weekly working hours in a number of countries (Deutsche Welle)

The dilemma of the quality of the work environment

Statistics show that the quality of the working environment, including the number of working hours, paid leave, retirement systems and health insurance, is high in democratic countries and more advanced due to the role of trade unions. However, ILO data show that non-European countries have low weekly working hours.

Official working days in developed countries are shorter as holidays and holidays increase, with laws compensating workers for overtime. Systems for improving working conditions began to be introduced in the 19th century, and this was expanded after the end of the Second World War.

Currently, only 15% of workers and employees in the European Union work more than 48 hours a week, while in China and South Korea the figure is more than 40% and in Chile it reaches 50% of the workforce.

In France and Germany, initiatives have been launched to improve work-life balance (Shutterstock)

Work-life balance

Denmark is the only one of the 38 OECD countries to be ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, where the term "hige" for philosophy of life is known, which involves creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying time with friends and family.

In France and Germany, initiatives have been launched to improve work-life balance. Italy is among the OECD countries known for having good work systems in achieving this balance, with employees and workers enjoying the most time for leisure activities and only 3% of the workforce working long hours that may amount to more than 50 hours a week.

Wages are one of the key factors in determining how satisfied an individual is with their job, as the middle and working classes in the United States and the United Kingdom have seen wages decline since 1980 when neoliberalism took root in the economy for the first time.

Post-pandemic work

It is noteworthy that during the Corona pandemic, working from home was the only option for continuing the work cycle, and despite the end of the pandemic and the recovery of the economy in many countries of the world, many companies still allow employees to work from home completely or by combining office work and remote work.

According to McKinsey, about 20 percent of the workforce in advanced economies can continue to work from home 3-5 days a week in the long term without affecting productivity.