Is there a 4-day week in Chile?
No. Chile has no law creating a 4-day week; what it has is a general cut in working hours. According to the Ministry of Labour, Law 21.561 set the weekly limit at 44 hours from 26 April 2024 and 42 hours from 26 April 2026, and sets 40 hours from 26 April 2028. The Ministry says the law cannot reduce workers' pay.
The law also changed how hours can be spread. The Labour Directorate says the 40-hour week can be worked in no fewer than four and no more than six days, so four days on and three off is allowed. Per the Directorate, that pattern is available once 40 hours are in place, which a company can adopt early by agreement. It is a compressed week (40 hours in four days), not a shorter one.
The law covers employees whose employment is fully governed by the Labour Code. A government bill that entered the Chamber of Deputies on 15 July 2026 would let employers and workers average weekly hours over 16 weeks instead of 4, by written agreement. Supporters say it leaves the 40 hours alone; opposition deputies say it changes them. On 21 September it was still in committee, and the 2028 step is unchanged in the law as it stands.
Latest developments
Government bill would stretch the hours-averaging period to 16 weeks
A government labour-adaptability bill was due to enter the Chamber of Deputies on 15 July 2026. It would let the 40-hour week be averaged over 16 weeks instead of 4. One of the first committees to examine it will be Labour.
La Tercera: the 40-hour reform bill enters the Chamber (opens in new tab)Chile's legal working week falls from 44 to 42 hours
The second step of Law 21.561 took effect on 26 April 2026, cutting the weekly limit from 44 to 42 hours. The final step, to 40 hours, is due in 2028.
Ministerio del Trabajo: Ley 40 horas, implementación (opens in new tab)Labour Directorate Dictamen of 16 April 2026 on the 42-hour step
Dictamen 253/21 says employers and workers should first agree how to apply the cut; failing that, the employer shortens each working day proportionally.
Dirección del Trabajo: reducción de la jornada de 44 a 42 horas (opens in new tab)
Jobs in Chile
Who offers a 4-day week in Chile
We do not list a company with a 4-day week in Chile yet.
Suggest a companyHow Chile compares
Chile, in rose, against the other countries we cover.
Average weekly hours
22nd shortest of 25 countries, 2.5 hours above the median of 37.3.
Netherlands 31.3 to South Africa 42.3
See all 25 countries
| Country | Hours |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 31.3 |
| Denmark | 33.3 |
| Germany | 34.5 |
| Norway | 34.6 |
| Australia | 35.4 |
| Austria | 35.6 |
| Finland | 35.6 |
| Switzerland | 35.7 |
| Belgium | 36.0 |
| Ireland | 36.0 |
| United Kingdom | 36.3 |
| France | 36.9 |
| Sweden | 37.3 |
| Iceland | 37.4 |
| Japan | 37.5 |
| Spain | 37.5 |
| New Zealand | 37.6 |
| United States | 38.2 |
| Lithuania | 39.0 |
| South Korea | 39.4 |
| Brazil | 39.5 |
| Chile | 39.8 |
| Poland | 39.9 |
| Portugal | 40.0 |
| South Africa | 42.3 |
Usual weekly hours on the main job, all employed people, from the OECD (latest year, 2024 or 2025). It includes part-timers. No comparable figure for: Canada, Philippines, United Arab Emirates.
Statutory paid leave
Joint 20th longest of 26 countries, 5 days below the median of 20.
United Kingdom 28 to United States None
See all 26 countries
| Country | Days |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 28 |
| Austria | 25 |
| Denmark | 25 |
| Finland | 25 |
| France | 25 |
| Sweden | 25 |
| Iceland | 24 |
| Brazil | 22 |
| Portugal | 22 |
| Spain | 22 |
| Norway | 21 |
| Australia | 20 |
| Belgium | 20 |
| Germany | 20 |
| Ireland | 20 |
| Netherlands | 20 |
| New Zealand | 20 |
| Poland | 20 |
| Switzerland | 20 |
| Chile | 15 |
| South Africa | 15 |
| South Korea | 15 |
| Canada | 10 |
| Japan | 10 |
| Philippines | 5 |
| United States | None |
The legal minimum a year, in working days on a five-day week, before public holidays. Definitions differ: some countries set weeks or calendar days (converted here), the UK lets public holidays count and the United States has no national minimum. Each country page says what its number covers. No comparable figure for: Lithuania, United Arab Emirates.
Working in Chile
Working hours
The legal weekly limit has been 42 hours since 26 April 2026 and falls to 40 hours on 26 April 2028 (Ministry of Labour). Where employer and workers cannot agree how to apply the 42-hour step, the employer shortens each working day proportionally, according to the Labour Directorate (Dictamen 253/21, 16 April 2026).
Paid leave and holidays
Employees with more than one year of service are entitled to 15 working days of paid annual leave (Labour Code Article 67). Days are counted Monday to Friday; Saturday never counts. For workers who live and work in Magallanes, Aysén or Palena Province the entitlement is 20 working days.
Part-time and flexible work
Law 21.561 sets the part-time limit at 30 hours a week, replacing the earlier reference to two-thirds of the standard week.
Remote work
Remote workers are entitled to a working-hours limit, except those excluded by the second paragraph of Article 22 of the Labour Code (Ministry of Labour).