Governing labour regulations in the future of work: lessons from labour inspection in Brazil

Abstract

Labour administration bodies have played an important role in the transition to industrial work in the 20th century, balancing economic efficiency with social protection through the enforcement of regulation. However, ongoing changes in production and labour relations have been posing challenges that require significant transformations in the way labour regulation systems operate. This chapter discusses potential pathways for meeting these challenges by focusing on alternative modes of governance for labour regulation and enforcement in contexts in which non-standard employment is the norm, rather than the exception. Instead of proposing a model, the chapter draws lessons from successful cases of labour law enforcement in Brazil, in which experimentation with new governance strategies led to innovative solutions to problems related to non-standard employment. The lessons point to flexible collaborative arrangements involving multiple government actors (labour inspectors, judges, prosecutors, etc.) and non-government actors (unions, business associations, NGOs, social movements, research institutes, banks, etc.) as key for identifying problems and devising customized and sustainable solutions.