Last Updated on February 14, 2025
It’s estimated that over 75% of the current jobs in Bolivia are informal, not provided by established companies or institutions. The remaining 25% of formal jobs tend to have schedules similar to those in other countries, with full-time work on weekdays and part-time work on weekends. Informal workers, however, often have irregular schedules but work considerably more hours per week.
Formal employees in Bolivia typically have a work schedule ranging from 40 to 70 hours per week, with an average of 55 hours. Working hours generally run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
As Bolivian citizens and employers who have lived here our entire lives, we’ll provide you with all the details about working schedules in our country, for both formal and informal employees. We’ll also discuss holidays and how they are handled by companies and employers.
Working Hours in Bolivia
In our country, you can distinguish between two types of work schedules, *which differ significantly*, belonging to both formal and informal workers and employees. We’ll discuss these two schedule types below.
1) Formal Job Schedules
Working hour schedules in Bolivia are similar to those in other countries, *with the difference that many employers tend to overwork their employees*, sometimes even exploiting them, extending their normal workday from 8 to 9 hours, or even to 10-11 hours.
As you can see in the table below, a standard workday should be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., totaling 8 hours. However, most Bolivian employers tend to utilize extra hours, both during lunchtime and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., *without providing additional compensation for this extra work*.
This is why it’s very common in our country to see *formal employees working 50 to even 60 hours per week* but receiving payment for a standard 40-hour workweek.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Usually used as extra working hours | ||||||
| 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Minimum working hours | Minimum working hours (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) | Sometimes used as extra working hours (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) | ||||
| 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Often used as extra working hours | ||||||
| 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Minimum working hours | Often used as extra working hours (2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) | |||||
| 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Usually used as extra working hours | ||||||
| 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Often used as extra working hours | ||||||
Additionally, many Bolivian employers require their employees to work extra hours on Saturdays and, in some cases, on Sundays. It’s common to see employees in Bolivia working on Saturdays, *but without receiving additional compensation for this extra time*.
This is a common practice among institutions and companies in Bolivia. However, in reputable companies, such as embassies, international corporations, banks, and similar institutions, the situation is different. *They tend to adhere to standard 8-hour workdays* and provide fair compensation for overtime.
2) Informal Job Schedules
Individuals who are self-employed, work in grocery stores, small businesses, open-air markets, in commerce, selling goods, performing side hustles, etc., tend to have highly irregular schedules. However, they typically dedicate certain hours of the day to intensive work and other hours to additional work.
People working in these types of informal jobs, which represent approximately 75% of the Bolivian workforce, tend to work significantly more hours than formal workers, between 50 and 70 hours per week. They work 10 to 12 hours on weekdays and 5 to 10 hours on weekends, as shown in the table below.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | Often used as informal working hours | ||||||
| 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Usually used as informal working hours | Often used as informal working hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) | |||||
| 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | Often used as informal working hours | ||||||
| 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. | Sometimes used as informal working hours | ||||||
Furthermore, individuals with informal jobs in Bolivia tend to work considerably more on weekends than formal employees. They often work long hours on Saturdays and, in many cases, half a day on Sundays. They have very demanding work schedules, which is why being an informal worker in Bolivia *is generally more challenging than being a formal employee*.
As you may be aware, Bolivia is a developing country that lacks a robust and formalized employment structure. Therefore, informal jobs are often *the only option for individuals to earn enough money to live*. The vast majority of these jobs involve selling products in large open-air markets throughout the main Bolivian cities.
Other significant informal jobs include owning a small neighborhood grocery store, working as a taxi driver, or providing services as a retailer, electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc.
Working Hours for Foreigners in Bolivia
Foreigners working in our country typically work *for reputable, well-known international companies* operating in Bolivia, or for institutions such as embassies, international missions, NGOs, etc. Therefore, these workers tend to work under similar conditions and schedules as they would in their home countries.
This means that if you come to work in Bolivia, hired by an international company or a public institution from your country operating here, *you’ll likely have the same work schedule as you would in your home country*, or at least an international work schedule of 40 average working hours per week, with fair compensation for overtime.
International organizations, large corporations, and public representatives like embassies present in Bolivia *tend to adhere to international work schedule standards and compensation practices*. Therefore, if you’re a foreign employee coming from a developed country, you’ll generally receive the same treatment as if you were in your home country.
Additionally, regarding immigrants from other South American countries and from Asia, particularly China, who work in their own businesses, such as restaurants, stores, and similar establishments, *they tend to follow the patterns of informal Bolivian workers*, often with demanding and extended work schedules.
Work Schedules in Bolivia
In Bolivia, as in other countries, we typically have *three types of work schedules for weekdays*, consisting of 8 hours for the first two and 5 hours for the last:
- Normal work schedule
- Continuous work schedule
- Half-time work schedule
A) Normal Work Schedule
This schedule involves dividing the workday into both mornings and afternoons, or both afternoons and evenings. In Bolivia, this typically means:
- 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (overnight work)
Companies and employers in our country commonly establish the above work schedules for employees. The two-hour period between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. is designated for lunchtime.
As we mentioned earlier, *many companies in Bolivia do not adhere to this schedule* and require employees to work one or two additional hours on weekdays, typically in the evenings, without providing extra compensation for this overtime.
It’s worth noting that remote work schedules haven’t had a significant impact on Bolivian organizations to date, despite the pandemic. Therefore, most companies still require their employees to work in person in our country.
B) Continuous Work Schedule
This schedule involves a single, uninterrupted work period on weekdays, typically in Bolivia:
- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
By far, the most common continuous work schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Many banks and major private institutions in Bolivia utilize this schedule to provide their employees with more free time after 4:30 p.m.
Companies operating 24/7 typically use the last three schedules to have three work shifts throughout the day. They usually start at 7:00 a.m. with 8-hour shifts.
C) Half-Time Work Schedule
In Bolivia, half-time work typically involves more hours than a true half-day job, *averaging five hours per day*. Employers tend to add an extra hour to a half-time work schedule, for example, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
It’s also common to see these half-time jobs occupying the entire morning, the entire afternoon, or even the entire evening in many cases.
Working Hours and Schedules on Holidays
Work activity on holidays in Bolivia is, as you might expect, almost non-existent. *People take holidays very seriously here*. The only businesses that typically remain open on these days are pharmacies, hospitals, and public and private transportation, among other essential services.
Banks, malls, large supermarkets, public institutions, and similar entities typically close on holidays in Bolivia. *However, entertainment venues and local or neighborhood grocery stores will remain open during these days*.
Conclusions:
In this guide on working hours and schedules in Bolivia, you’ve seen that in our country, it’s typical to work from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in most formal jobs. However, you’ve also learned that many employers utilize extra working hours, primarily in the evenings, without compensating employees for this additional work time.
Additionally, you’ve seen that most of the workforce in Bolivia is informal (approximately 75%) and is not employed by formal companies and businesses. These informal workers tend to have very irregular schedules, but they typically work throughout the day, on weekdays usually from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. They also tend to work significantly more on weekends than formal workers.
You now know that these informal workers often work considerably more hours, between 60 and 70 hours per week, and in many cases, this is the only option they have to earn a living. You’ve seen that they work in large open-air markets on the streets, engage in side hustles, operate small neighborhood stores, and participate in similar activities.
Finally, you’ve learned that if you’re an employee from a developed country coming to work for a reputable Bolivian business, an international organization, or a public institution like an embassy, you’ll likely have the same working schedule and treatment as you would in your home country.
We hope this information has been helpful. If you’d like to learn more about working in Bolivia, including all the details on various employment aspects, please visit our dedicated guide here: link.
CasasenBolivia.com, information on living, working, investing, and traveling in Bolivia.
