Access the Portuguese version of this takeaway here
By Jessica Matheus de Souza*
“The CLT worker can’t catch a break!” has become the unofficial slogan of a generation of Brazilian workers — a phrase turned into a meme that turns daily struggles into viral content. Countless Instagram reels on this trending topic with up to hundreds of millions of views display images of public transportation packed with exhausted people fighting for seats, enduring rain and heat on their commute to the workplace. Behind the humour lies a sharp social critique. This phrase captures widespread frustrations over growing work precarity, sparks debate about labour rights, and reveals a population that, through memes, is voicing the desire for more dignified living conditions. These complaints — while legitimate — overlap in a troubling way with narratives pushed by influencers and digital coaches who profit from growing discontent with formal jobs while promoting precarious, individualistic entrepreneurship as an attractive — yet ultimately misleading — path to financial freedom.
The acronym CLT refers to Brazil’s Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho (Consolidation of Labour Laws), the legislation governing formal labour relations in the country. The CLT was designed to protect workers in areas like health, safety, rest, and minimum wage — broadly comparable to employment acts in many European countries. In Brazil, the most common work schedule is the “6×1,” six days of labour for one day off. It is estimated that 65.8% of formal workers follow this routine, with 82% of them earning up to two minimum wages (one is R$1,412 or about €256). So, when Brazilians make reels and “laugh at their misery”, it’s not just comedy — it’s social diagnosis.
Memes have become crucial in political studies as tools of discourse, mobilization, and ideological contestation, helping to navigate today’s complex political debates. They are powerful tools of persuasion (CHAGAS, 2018), fostering shared expression, collective voice, and political identity, but also deepening divisions by creating new boundaries between political groups (MORTENSEN & NEUMAYER, 2021). Acting as symbols of group identity on social media, memes can be weaponized to challenge, resist, or disrupt dominant public narratives (PETERS & ALLAN, 2022).
When you realise you live at work and just visit your home
During data collection and analysis for the WorkPoliticsBIP project, I became interested in exploring how social media memes portray the CLT work regime, especially as we looked into the profiles of hundreds of coaches and influencers dominating the digital entrepreneurship scene on Instagram and selling courses and mentorships on how to make money online as a path for life improvement. The CLT came up frequently in the posts and bios collected in our digital ethnography— but seldom in a positive light. As our report shows, digital marketing influencers often advertised formal work as a barrier to personal and professional growth.
For this article, I extracted data from Meta’s Content Library, a platform designed to give researchers access to public social media data. When analysing the most-viewed Instagram posts each year since 2022 containing the word “CLT,” the results reinforced the patterns we had already seen in the discourse of digital marketing influencers.
CLT content wasn’t popular until 2022. Of the top 20 most-viewed posts that year (ranging from 1.2 million to 7.2 million views), seven were testimonials from people who had quit CLT jobs to become entrepreneurs, another seven were political news or informational posts, three were labour law tips from lawyers, and only three were humour content. The third most-viewed post about the CLT in 2022 illustrates this dynamic well:
“Did you know you can earn R$3,000 to R$5,000 a month by doing eyebrow design? If you’re tired of working under CLT, taking overcrowded buses, dealing with an annoying boss breathing down your neck, and still earning a salary that barely covers your bills — this is your chance to change that! “
In the fifth most-shared post of that year, an investment influencer claims that financial independence requires entrepreneurship. He dismisses the idea that small monthly savings from formal employment can lead to wealth, arguing that successful investment depends on consistent capital — something that, according to him, only entrepreneurship, not salaried work, can provide at scale. Other posts echoed this mindset, emphasizing the benefits of owning one’s time. For example, “I liked my CLT job, but I like what the digital world gave me even more — quality time to live my life the best way I can.” One influencer recounts her transition away from formal employment, stressing the limitations of a stable CLT life — low wages, exhausting routines, and lack of freedom — and contrasting it with the autonomy through self-employment. Several others frame their stories as journeys of transformation, expressing gratitude for having embraced the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, and encouraging others to do the same: “From CLT to running one of the biggest marketplace operations in Brazil.”
What unites these posts is the message that true personal and financial fulfillment lies not in formal employment but in the digital and self-employed economy. However, this narrative is deeply problematic. The CLT remains one of Brazil’s most significant social achievements — a progressive labour law that still represents a dream for many, as it guarantees basic protections and rights for workers. While complaints about lack of time and work conditions are legitimate, dismissing the CLT instead of working on improving it could be immensely harmful. This discourse greatly benefits online coaches whose income grows as public dissatisfaction with traditional work increases. Yet the alternatives they promote often involve greater precarity, instability, and risk, offering a mirage of freedom instead of security — a trade-off that leaves workers even more vulnerable.
The comedy clips about the CLT regime only began surpassing 1 million views in October 2022 — the only ones to do so that year joked about payday finally arriving or compared the workplace to a mental institution. By 2023, however, this trend of joking about CLT employment had gained momentum. The most-viewed posts were now memes about formal work under CLT, surpassing entrepreneurship content in popularity. Of the 25 most popular posts, 20 were humorous. These memes mock the chaos a new hire finds at work and show workers counting down the minutes until clock-out time, doing multiple jobs for a single salary, complaining about bosses, and especially reporting how little free time they have. The posts expose workplace conflict, rigid hierarchies, toxic environments, intense pressure, and the growing difficulty maintaining mental health.
This shift coincided with the post-pandemic return to in-person work and rigid labour structures after many experienced the flexibility of remote routines. Moreover, the pandemic also played a significant role in Brazil’s ongoing mental health crisis, since work conditions shifted drastically, particularly with the rise of “uberization,” leaving millions facing financial instability and mental exhaustion without proper support. The country is facing a silent epidemic of work-related mental health issues, driven by precarious labor conditions, excessive workloads, unattainable targets, low pay, moral harassment, and widespread job insecurity. The social media data seems to reflect that pattern:
Trying to hold on to my job and my mental health at the same time
In 2024, content filmed on public transportation gained traction. Crowded buses, exhausted passengers, altercations, and commuters in the rain appeared in seven of the 30 most-viewed posts, reinforcing a narrative of hardship and frustration in workers’ routines. Two of these were news-style videos reporting on altercations in transit, with captions like “the entire subway car celebrates after a fight over a seat ends,” “CLT workers never get a break,” and “life under CLT isn’t easy for anyone.” These videos framed commuting with humor and conflict, highlighting exhaustion and chaos.
One producer gained significant attention by recording videos in public transport, using his selfie camera with dramatic makeup and Instagram filters. People in the background, who were just commuting from work with a serious expression, were also affected by the filters and ended up laughing at the situation, creating funny and embarrassing moments. These reels went viral, reaching 120.9 million views and accounting for 3 of the year’s top 12 most-viewed posts. Other recurring themes included labour rights, exhaustion, demotivation, fear or desire to quit, working hours and overtime, low pay, workplace conflict, and authoritarian management. Humour remains a dominant narrative style, even when addressing serious topics like dismissal or exploitation.
Also in 2024, a viral trend emerged with street interviews titled “CLT or PJ?” – , where an influencer asks passersby about their jobs and earnings, attracting a large following curious about job conditions. PJ (Pessoa Jurídica) refers to self-employed contractors offering services to companies without formal employment protections. These videos reached up to 27 million views, with four ranking among the 20 most-viewed posts. The influencer/interviewer began publishing this content around December 2023, coinciding with the rise of viral CLT-themed posts. One of the four most popular videos in this series focused on a 15-year-old girl who sells brigadeiros (a famous sweet in Brazil) three days a week and is saving money to travel abroad; the video and its comments framed her story as inspirational, admiring her early work ethic and her ability to earn over R$4,000 per month. A recurring topic in this format was adult content work — interviews with sex workers appeared in three of the viral “CLT or PJ?” videos and were also featured in four of the 20 most-viewed posts overall.
So far, posts from 2025 largely follow the same patterns observed in the previous year, but two videos introduce a new theme: the desire to be an heir or wealthy. This is illustrated through content about a billionaire football player who, despite getting rich and working very little, was still complaining about his job, and also a viral gossip video accusing a well-known influencer of dating someone for being an heir rather than a CLT worker. Another viral post shows a boss complaining that an employee is having lunch during the designated lunch break time, as she scheduled recurring meetings during that period — sparking discussions about labor rights. Finally, several popular posts highlight themes such as using sick leave to miss work, stress, and conflicts with coworkers.
What do most posts — whether from influencers promoting entrepreneurship or formal workers humorously venting about their routines — have in common? Time. In entrepreneurial content, the key promise is owning your time; in humorous posts about CLT jobs, the main complaint is not having enough of it. And for women, this time deficit is even more severe, since domestic labor is still largely seen as a female responsibility and is unevenly distributed in most households. Under the common 6-day workweek (6×1), many women end up spending their only day off doing unpaid housework.
This imbalance makes formal employment especially unsustainable for women, contributing to their lower participation in the formal labour market — working full-time both at home and outside becomes simply unfeasible. This is even more concerning considering Brazil has over 11 million mothers raising children on their own, and nearly 15% of Brazilian households are headed by single mothers. Many of them turn to informal — and often multiple — jobs, both because it’s difficult to balance domestic responsibilities with fixed work hours, requiring more flexible arrangements, and also because employers are often reluctant to hire women with children. As a result, these women are left to fend for themselves however they can, and that’s why many of the online courses promoted by influencers on how to earn extra income from home are specifically targeted at women.
“Finally the weekend, I get to rest. Me during the weekend:”
This wave of online discontent — expressed through memes — can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, memes have become a powerful political and cultural tool, using humor to unite people around shared, often harsh, realities. They help expose the cracks in Brazil’s labor system, highlighting that even within formal employment, conditions can be grueling and unjust. In this sense, meme culture carries the potential to mobilize workers, raise awareness, and push for improved labor protections. But on the other hand, the same content can be co-opted by digital entrepreneurs and self-styled “coaches” to argue that formal work simply isn’t worth it — suggesting that it’s better to abandon legal protections under the CLT in favor of the uncertain promise of self-employment. What begins as social critique can easily be reframed as a sales pitch for precarious individualism.
When we combine the lack of time and discomfort experienced by CLT workers — as illustrated by viral memes — with the narrative promoted by digital coaches, it’s no surprise that many people are drawn to alternatives that promise more freedom over how they use their time and achieve financial independence. The more precarious workers’ conditions are perceived, the more appealing are the narratives emphasizing individual responsibility and portraying formal employment as a constraint on personal and economic advancement. It is not surprising that people dream about entrepreneurship and having their own business: they want to go from CLT to CEO.
This is particularly concerning as it may discourage young people from pursuing formal employment altogether. As they begin to think about their futures, they are confronted with stories of adults forced to dedicate nearly all their time to work, living in discomfort, facing financial struggles, and seeing retirement as a distant, uncertain goal. One viral post, which circulated widely on both Instagram and TikTok, featured a young girl playing a children’s game in which the goal is to freeze in place when prompted. In the video, she says “If you move, you become a CLT worker” while holding up a Brazilian work ID booklet (used to register formal employment). The implication is striking: even children are beginning to associate formal jobs with something negative or undesirable, reflecting how deeply the frustrations with poor working conditions have permeated public perception. According to media reports, a survey shows that 75% of Brazilian youth aspire to become digital influencers, under the impression that this would lead to an easier life —a path often encouraged or supported by their parents.
As these conversations gain momentum, it becomes increasingly evident that the frustrations voiced online are not just fleeting complaints, but part of a deeper reckoning with the current state of Brazil’s labour system. Memes, while humorous, have become a potent vehicle for critique — signaling a generational disillusionment with formal employment and a growing aspiration for autonomy and dignity in work. The rising popularity of digital entrepreneurship and informal work models underscores this shift, bringing to light the inadequacies of a system that no longer aligns with the values or realities of contemporary workers.
This collective questioning has already begun to translate into political action. Movements are being organized to change current labour laws. Grassroots movements like “Vida Além do Trabalho” (“Life Beyond Work”) gained momentum in 2023 after labor rights activist Azevedo went viral on TikTok for calling the 6×1 schedule “modern slavery” and sharing his struggles with long work hours. Shortly after, Azevedo was elected city councilor for the PSOL party. On May 1st 2024, Labour Day, federal congresswoman Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) announced a proposal to amend Brazil’s labor laws (CLT), calling the current system inhumane and unsustainable. Her statement sparked a public petition — now with over 1.3 million signatures — demanding a more balanced workweek that allows for personal and family time, highlighting how the 6×1 schedule contributes to widespread physical and mental exhaustion. Whether these political efforts will lead to concrete change remains to be seen.
*Dr Jessica Matheus de Souza is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Geography at University College Dublin. She is a social data scientist in the ERC-funded WorkPoliticsBIP project and a member of UCD DeepLab. She earned her PhD in Political Sociology from the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro (UENF).
Cover Image source – © Brenda Rocha Blossom via Canva.com
[1]“90% das mulheres negras que trabalham na escala 6×1 recebem menos de dois salários mínimos” [90% of Black women working under the 6×1 schedule earn less than two minimum wages], Notícia Preta, 18 November 2024. Available at: https://noticiapreta.com.br/escala-6×1-reflete-desigualdade-no-mercado-de-trabalho-brasileiro/ [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[2] Pinheiro-Machado, R., Matheus, J., Frid, M., Alves-Silva, W., Petra, P., and Penalva, J. (2024). Social Media as a Digital Labour Platform: Assessing the Social, Cultural, and Political Impacts of Labour Market Migration to Instagram. Report No. 2024.1. Digital Economy and Extreme Politics Lab (DeepLab), University College Dublin. ISBN 978-1-910963-82-1. Available at: https://www.labdeep.com/reports [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[3] Tavares, D. “Crise da saúde mental no trabalho: um problema social urgente” [The mental health crisis at work: an urgent social issue], Revista Fórum. Available at: https://revistaforum.com.br/opiniao/2023/10/10/crise-da-saude-mental-no-trabalho-um-problema-social-urgente-150327.html [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[4] “Brasil tem mais de 11 milhões de mães que criam filhos sozinhas” [Brazil has over 11 million mothers raising children alone], G1, 12 May 2023. Available at: https://g1.globo.com/bom-dia-brasil/noticia/2023/05/12/brasil-tem-mais-de-11-milhoes-de-maes-que-criam-os-filhos-sozinhas.ghtml [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[5] One of the findings from our computational approaches was that aspiring digital entrepreneurs mostly present themselves as “CEOs” (see DeepLab report in reference 1) in their Instagram bios, though a closer look at these profiles showed they were mostly individuals starting small ventures.
[6] “Estudar pra quê? Os jovens que sonham em virar ‘influencers’” [Why Study? Young People Who Dream of Becoming Influencers], DW Brasil, 4 July 2024. Available at: https://www.dw.com/pt-br/para-que-estudar-os-jovens-que-sonham-em-virar-influencers/a-69555911 [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[7] “Brazilian child influencers face legal battles over online fame,” Rest of World, 2025. Available at: https://restofworld.org/2025/brazil-child-influencers-legal/ [Accessed 13 May 2025].
[8]“Coaches mirins: jovens buscam autonomia nas redes, mas especialistas apontam riscos para o desenvolvimento” [Child coaches: young people seek autonomy on social media, but experts warn of developmental risks], O Globo, 11 May 2025. Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2025/05/11/coaches-mirins-jovens-buscam-autonomia-nas-redes-mas-especialistas-apontam-riscos-para-o-desenvolvimento.ghtml (Accessed: 13 May 2025).
[9] “Vida além do trabalho: entenda o movimento que prega o fim da escala 6×1” [Life Beyond Work: Understanding the Movement Advocating for the End of the 6×1 Work Schedule], Alma Preta, 2023. Available at: https://almapreta.com.br/sessao/politica/vida-alem-do-trabalho-entenda-o-movimento-que-prega-o-fim-da-escala-6×1 [Accessed 13 May 2025].
References
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