Labor reforms and their markets: A comparison Brazil-France

Abstract

Recent reforms in labor legislation in Brazil and France have opened a door for comparison. The rationale behind them has a common inspiration: flexibilization of forms of labor use in countries where legislation was considered very rigid, making it difficult for companies to adjust to constant changes in global competitiveness. Although Brazil and France occupy very different places in the international division of labor, and face different competitive pressures, the motivation of the reformers on both sides are strikingly similar. Modernization of labor relations, job creation, reduction of unemployment, economic growth, improvement of workers’ income and working conditions. But the promise of socioeconomic security is accompanied by forms of regulation that actually generate insecurity in employment, income, and labor rights. The study tries to evaluate some dimensions of this insecurity, comparing the two countries around the notion of “precariousness”.