Mexico approved a bill to gradually reduce the working week from 48 to 40 hours. However, the reform, scheduled to come into force next year, increases weekly overtime and maintains only one day of rest for every six days worked.
With more than 2,226 hours of work per person per year, Latin America’s second largest economy has the worst work-life balance among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The country, where around 55% of workers work in the informal sector, also has the lowest labor productivity and the lowest wages among the 38 member countries of the group.
The Chamber of Deputies approved the general draft of the bill on Tuesday (24), with the support of all 469 deputies present in Congress, made up of 500 members; no votes against. Deputies then discussed the specific terms of the law, approving them with 411 votes in favor.
The opposition harshly criticized the reform during the 10 hours of debate. The ruling party celebrated the approval, which comes after years of negotiations with businesspeople.
“Productivity is not measured by exhaustion. It is built with dignity”, declared congressman Pedro Haces, from the ruling party, who is also general secretary of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees of Mexico.
The opposition argued that the bill does not represent a real reduction in working hours, as it increases weekly overtime from nine to 12 hours and does not include two mandatory days of rest for every five days worked.
“The reform idea is not bad, but it is incomplete and was done hastily,” said Alex Dominguez, deputy from the opposition PRI party.
The reform was approved in a general vote in the Senate earlier this month, where the ruling Morena party holds a large majority.
“After more than 100 years without change, Mexico will gradually eliminate the 48-hour work week,” published the Ministry of Labor in X.
President Claudia Sheinbaum presented the proposal in December; it aims to reduce working hours by two hours per year by 2030, benefiting around 13.4 million workers.
If the law is approved by more than half of Mexico’s state legislative assemblies, as expected, the first two-hour reduction will be implemented in January 2027.
