Owner of Riachuelo criticizes the end of the 6×1 scale and says that “cost will rise by 18% to 20%”

Businessman Flávio Rocha, heir to Grupo Guararapes, owner of Riachuelo, stated this Saturday (23) that the proposal to end the 6×1 scale, defended by the federal government and being processed in Congress, should increase inflation and put pressure on product prices. According to him, the measure would have an estimated overall impact of 13%, according to the company’s projections.

“In the case of retail, the impact is greater, because the sector is more dependent on labor. So, we imagine that the cost will rise by around 18% to 20%”, he said, during participation in a panel at the Forum Brazil 2026, in Guarujá (SP). “This will need to be passed on to prices, to preserve margins, or it will lead to a reduction in the number of employees.”

The owner of Riachuelo stated that, to sustain the margin of shopkeepers and retailers, especially small ones, the measure could lead to a reduction in the number of employees. According to him, the concern should fall mainly on small and medium-sized companies, which, in the entrepreneur’s opinion, currently account for the largest job creation in the country.

Read more: Lula and Motta should meet by the 25th to decide on the transition to the end of the 6×1

Rocha also said that Brazil is discussing the creation of a general rule for a practice that, according to him, is already adopted by companies, with a 5×2 scale. For him, the change would restrict sectors that need greater flexibility, such as industries, restaurants and beauty salons, which depend on operating more days of the week, although possibly with shorter working hours.

The businessman said he considers the debate on working hours and the transformation of working hours to be pertinent, on the grounds that everyone wants to be closer to their family and that excluding this discussion would be unfair to the worker. He considered, however, that the discussion takes place in an election year, on the eve of an election that he classified as important for Brazil, and assessed that the issue tends to be conducted based on “populism”, and not on the impacts on jobs and the hiring capacity of businesspeople.

The final report of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) should be presented by federal deputy Léo Prates (Republicanos-BA) next Monday (25). If the text is filed on the date, the vote on the opinion within the Special Committee of the Chamber should take place on Tuesday (26) and the vote in plenary on Wednesday (27).