How Many Hours Do Chileans Want to Work?

Abstract

“Chileans spend many hours on the job, but they are still good at slacking off...” This phrase, a commonplace in informal discussions, fairly accurately reflects the labor situation in our country. In Chile, hours worked are many, and the result is not higher productivity. Although it is not an aspect explicitly addressed in the labor reform, the length of the working day and the allocation of hours worked have been a subject of ongoing discussion for many years. Thus, for example, in the debate on the replacement of striking workers, some sectors propose that firms create overtime banks so that each worker may have a total working day of up to 12 hours throughout the year. Continue reading...