The proposal to trim the workweek, presented by Labor Secretary Marath Bolaños, would be implemented gradually starting in 2027 with a two-hour reduction each year until reaching a 40-hour workweek in 2030. .File Photo by Jeff Kowalsky/EPA
Mexico’s federal government introduced a reform proposal to reduce the workweek to 40 hours from 48 hours without cutting wages or benefits.
The proposal, presented by Labor Secretary Marath Bolaños, would be implemented gradually starting in 2027 with a two-hour reduction each year until reaching a 40-hour workweek in 2030.
The administration expects to submit the initiative in 2026 after completing technical talks with business leaders, unions and specialists and securing the necessary votes in Congress and in state legislatures because it is a constitutional reform.
The initiative will be sent to the Senate for debate. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the framework was unanimously agreed to by the government, business leaders and unions, the newspaper Expansión reported.
The push to shorten the workweek began in 2022, when lawmakers from the Morena party and several unions proposed a 40-hour week. However, that initiative did not advance.
On April 25, 2023, the Constitutional Points Committee in the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft amendment to reform Article 123 of the Constitution and set a maximum 40-hour workweek with two mandatory rest days.
However, the draft was never taken up by the full chamber and the reform stalled. By late 2023, it remained pending approval. A lack of business consensus and the election cycle kept the Senate from taking up the initiative in 2024.
Unions and workers’ organizations welcomed the proposal to reduce the workweek, calling it an act of social justice after decades of labor demands. The 38-country Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that Mexico is among the countries with the longest working hours, affecting employees’ well-being, the outlet El Financiero reported.
Some Mexican business groups have expressed reservations, warning that an abrupt reduction could raise costs and strain small companies. They also pointed to the risk of staff cuts if the change is not implemented gradually and supported with additional measures.
However, after talks with federal authorities, the private sector ultimately backed the phased reform, saying it can be implemented without harming productivity, El Universal reported.
