Mexico’s ruling Morena social gathering hailed the invoice’s profitable passage after years of back-and-forth with enterprise homeowners.
Printed On 25 Feb 2026
Mexico has handed a invoice to incrementally decrease the usual workweek from 48 to 40 hours, although critics worry the discount can be offset by will increase to the additional time hours allowed.
The invoice cleared Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies late on Tuesday with a broad base of help.
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Out of 500 deputies, 469 voted in favour of the broad define of the invoice, and none opposed it. Its particular phrases have been then accredited with 411 votes in help.
Nonetheless, the votes got here after almost 10 hours of debate, as critics raised opposition to a number of the invoice’s phrases.
Set to start subsequent 12 months, the reform gives a trade-off. Whereas the overall hours in a workweek are slated to lower, the regulation permits employers to lift the quantity of weekly additional time.
It additionally fails to vary the minimal variety of relaxation days required. In Mexico, the regulation at present mandates one relaxation day for each six days labored.
There can even be a delay in when the shorter workweek takes impact. The workweek can be trimmed by two hours per 12 months till 2030.
President Claudia Sheinbaum launched the proposal in December. It’s slated to learn almost 13.4 million staff in Mexico.
The ruling Morena social gathering hailed its approval, which follows years of back-and-forth with enterprise homeowners.
“Productiveness is just not measured by exhaustion. It’s constructed with dignity,” stated Pedro Haces, a Morena consultant and the secretary basic of the Autonomous Confederation of Employees and Staff of Mexico, a labour organisation.
Mexico has Latin America’s second-largest financial system, with a gross home product of about $1.86 trillion, in keeping with the World Financial institution.
However critics argue that it has the worst work-life steadiness of any nation within the Organisation for Financial Co-operation and Improvement (OECD). Its staff common greater than 2,226 work hours per individual yearly.
Regardless of these lengthy hours, the nation struggles with the bottom labour productiveness and the bottom wages of the organisation’s 38 member states. Roughly 55 p.c of its workforce additionally stays within the casual sector, which means they lack the authorized protections different staff get pleasure from.
Some members of Mexico’s opposition argued that this week’s invoice fails to go far sufficient.
“The concept of the reform is just not dangerous, however it’s incomplete and was performed in a rush,” stated Alex Dominguez, a lawmaker from the opposition PRI social gathering.
The invoice now must be accredited by two-thirds of Mexico’s state legislatures to enter impact.
Whereas Mexico strikes in the direction of a shorter 40-hour workweek, Latin America’s third-biggest financial system, Argentina, is taking the alternative method.
Confronted with labour shortages and financial stagnation, Argentina’s President Javier Milei has championed a controversial invoice that might prolong the workday from eight to 12 hours and limit additional time pay.
Final week, Argentina’s decrease home of Congress narrowly accredited the controversial labour reform. It’s anticipated to get a closing approval from the Senate within the coming days.
