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In force

The 40-hour working week: a gradual cut from 48 hours (2026 reform)

A constitutional reform published on 3 March 2026 writes into article 123 of the Constitution a working week of 40 hours, and its implementing reform of the Federal Labour Law, in force since 1 May 2026, sets the timetable: the legal maximum stays at 48 hours in 2026, then falls by two hours on 1 January of each year, to 46 hours in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030, with no cut in wages or benefits. Overtime, paid double, is capped at 12 hours a week by 2030 (9 hours in 2026 and 2027), plus at most 4 hours a week paid triple; workers under 18 may not work overtime. Employers must also record each worker’s working hours electronically, under rules from the Labour Ministry applying from 1 January 2027.

Citoyen·Updated: November 10, 2026

Key points

Maximum ordinary working week from 2030 (hours)

40

from 1 January 2030 (48 hours in 2026) · Announced

Constitution, art. 123 A-IV, and Federal Labour Law, art. 59 and transitional art. 2[1][3]

Workers working more than 40 hours a week

63.9%

as stated in March 2026 · Announced

according to the Labour Ministry[10]

Unemployment rate (ILO)

2.9%

Q3 2026

Instituto Nacional de Estadística y GeografíaSee the card →
  • Status: In force since May 1, 2026. Published in the Official Journal (evening edition) and in force the same day; it sets the yearly timetable of the reduction and of the overtime cap.[3][4]
  • Next milestone: January 1, 2027, Maximum working week lowered to 46 hours

At a glance

Reference text

Decreto por el que se reforman las fracciones IV y XI del Apartado A del Artículo 123 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral (Decree amending sections IV and XI of Part A of Article 123 of the Constitution, on reducing working hours)[1][2]

No. DOF 03-03-2026 (reforma constitucional n.º 279) · March 3, 2026

Read the text ↗

Carried by

  • Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo[6][1][3]President of Mexico, presented the constitutional initiative and promulgated the constitutional decree (3 March 2026) and the Federal Labour Law decree (1 May 2026) · 2025-2026 · Initiator
  • Marath Baruch Bolaños López[8][7][3]Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare, presented the project in December 2025; his ministry issues the rules on electronic time recording and monitors implementation · 2025-2026 · Implementation

Implementation

  • Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare (STPS), including federal labour inspection

Stated objective

Reduce fatigue and work accidents, improve health and safety at work and strengthen the balance between personal, family and working life, without any cut in wages or benefits; commitment no. 60 of the President’s 100 commitments.[10][1]

According to the Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare (March 2026)

  • Workers working 48 hours a week or more, whom the reform aims to benefit

    13,400,000

    as stated in December 2025 · according to the Labour Ministry, based on INEGI data[8]

Main measures

  • Constitution, article 123, Part A, section IV: « the working week shall be forty hours », on the terms set by law, with at least one day of rest on full pay for every six days of work. The Federal Labour Law (article 59) sets the maximum ordinary working week at forty hours.[1][3]
  • Gradual reduction from 1 January of each year: 48 hours in 2026, 46 in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030. In no case may the reduction lower wages, salaries or benefits.[1][3]
  • Daily working time unchanged: 8 hours for day shifts, 7 for night shifts and 7.5 for mixed shifts; hours may be distributed over the week by agreement between employer and worker.[3][10]
  • Overtime is paid double and may not exceed 12 hours a week, at most 4 hours a day on at most 4 days; this cap rises gradually: 9 hours in 2026 and 2027, 10 in 2028, 11 in 2029, 12 in 2030. Beyond it, at most 4 more hours a week, paid triple. Ordinary plus overtime hours may never exceed 12 hours a day, and workers under 18 may not work overtime.[1][3]
  • Employers must record electronically each worker’s working time, including start and end times, and hand it to the authorities on request; the Labour Ministry sets the scope and exceptions in general rules applying from 1 January 2027. Failure to comply: a fine of 250 to 5,000 Units of Measure and Update (UMA).[3]
  • Sunday workers keep a premium of at least 25% on the ordinary daily wage. The Labour Ministry must collect, process and evaluate data on the implementation of the reduction.[3][10]

In data

Legal weekly hours by year: ordinary maximum and overtime cap[3][1]

Timetable written in the Federal Labour Law decree, 2026-2030

  • Maximum ordinary working week (hours)
  • Overtime cap paid double (hours a week)
2026
48
9
2027
46
9
2028
44
10
2029
42
11
2030
40
12
Legal weekly hours by year: ordinary maximum and overtime cap: chart values
Year (from 1 January)Maximum ordinary working week (hours)Overtime cap paid double (hours a week)
2026489
2027469
20284410
20294211
20304012

Scale starts at 0 · Beyond the overtime cap, at most 4 more hours a week may be worked, paid triple. Legal maximums, not hours actually worked.

Average annual hours worked

2,205hrs/year

2025

OECDSee the card →

Timeline

  1. May 1, 2025

    Labour Day: the President announces dialogue tables on a gradual 40-hour week[7]

    The Labour Secretary announces a gradual reduction to reach 40 hours « at the latest in January 2030 ».

  2. July – November 2025

    Consultation: more than 40 working meetings[8]

    With employers, unions, academics and social organisations; more than 2,000 people heard, according to the Labour Ministry.

  3. December 2025Announced

    Constitutional initiative presented and sent to the Senate[8]

    Presented by the Labour Secretary at the President’s morning press conference, alongside employer and union representatives.

  4. February 11, 2026Under debate

    Approved by the Senate and sent to the Chamber of Deputies[6][9]

  5. February 24, 2026Adopted

    Approved by the Chamber of Deputies and sent to the state legislatures[6][10]

    Approved unanimously in general by both chambers, then by at least 24 state congresses, according to the Labour Ministry.

  6. March 3, 2026In force

    Constitutional decree published and in force[1][2]

    In force on the day of publication in the Official Journal (evening edition). The 48-hour week remains the maximum in 2026; Congress had 90 days to amend the secondary legislation.

  7. April 8, 2026

    Senate approves the Federal Labour Law reform and sends it to the Chamber of Deputies[5]

  8. April 22, 2026

    Congress issues the Federal Labour Law decree[3]

    Date of the decree signed by the presidents of the Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies; promulgated by the President on 1 May 2026.

  9. May 1, 2026In force

    Federal Labour Law reform in force[3][4]

    Published in the Official Journal (evening edition) and in force the same day; it sets the yearly timetable of the reduction and of the overtime cap.

  10. May 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026Current step

    Adjustment period for workers and employers[3]

    The law gives this period to adjust work processes; the maximum stays at 48 hours a week.

  11. January 1, 2027Upcoming: the outcome is not known

    Maximum working week lowered to 46 hours[3]

    According to the timetable set by the reform; the rules on electronic time recording also take effect. Overtime cap: 9 hours a week.

  12. January 1, 2028Upcoming: the outcome is not known

    Maximum working week lowered to 44 hours[3][1]

    According to the timetable set by the reform. Overtime cap: 10 hours a week.

  13. January 1, 2029Upcoming: the outcome is not known

    Maximum working week lowered to 42 hours[3][1]

    According to the timetable set by the reform. Overtime cap: 11 hours a week.

  14. January 1, 2030Upcoming: the outcome is not known

    40-hour working week reached[3][1]

    According to the timetable set by the reform. Overtime cap: 12 hours a week.

The debate

Citoyen takes no position: arguments are reported as their authors put them.

According to its supporters

  • The Labour Secretary argues that shorter hours raise productivity, reduce fatigue and work accidents and bring health benefits, and that a gradual timetable follows the recommendations of ILO Convention 116.[8]
  • The Labour Ministry says the reform replaces a regime with no effective limit on overtime paid triple by a ceiling of 56 hours a week in 2030, counts overtime from the 41st hour instead of the 49th, and bans overtime for minors.[9][11]
  • The employers’ confederation Coparmex backed the tripartite agreement: the gradual scheme lets firms adapt their processes and preserve competitiveness while improving work-life balance for millions of workers.[12]

According to its opponents

  • Coparmex warns that with 55.1% of workers in informal employment (INEGI, second quarter of 2026), cutting hours requires care so as not to reduce formal hiring; for small firms it can mean an extra hire or a whole shift to reorganise, and it asks for exceptions to electronic time recording.[14]
  • For round-the-clock activities such as private security, a Coparmex vice-president writes that the 40-hour week will require significantly more staff per post, a permanent cost increase that could, if abrupt, fuel informality.[13]
  • Critics quoted by the Labour Ministry in February 2026 argued that the reform would mean working more and earning less, a reading the ministry rejects.[9]

Indicators to watch

  • Average annual hours actually worked per worker · OECDSee the card →
  • Unemployment rate · INEGISee the card →
  • Employment rate · World BankSee the card →
  • Share of workers working more than 40 or 48 hours a week · INEGI (ENOE)no Citoyen card yet
  • Labour informality rate · INEGI (ENOE)no Citoyen card yet

Sources

  1. [1]Decreto por el que se reforman las fracciones IV y XI del Apartado A del Artículo 123 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral –Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación), March 3, 2026
  2. [2]Reforma 279 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos · DOF 03-03-2026, edición vespertina –Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión, March 3, 2026
  3. [3]DECRETO por el que se reforman, adicionan y derogan diversas disposiciones de la Ley Federal del Trabajo, en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral · DOF 01-05-2026, edición vespertina –Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión (reproducción del Diario Oficial de la Federación), May 1, 2026
  4. [4]Ley Federal del Trabajo · Decretos de reforma (reforma 52, DOF 01-05-2026) –Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión
  5. [5]Minuta CS-LXVI-II-2P-63 · Proyecto de decreto por el que se reforman, adicionan y derogan diversas disposiciones de la Ley Federal del Trabajo, en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral (oficio DGPL-2P2A.-3402) –Senado de la República, Mesa Directiva (expediente publicado por la Cámara de Diputados), April 8, 2026
  6. [6]Decreto No. 369 · Minuta proyecto de decreto por el que se reforman las fracciones IV y XI del apartado A del artículo 123 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral –H. Congreso del Estado de Durango, LXX Legislatura, March 3, 2026
  7. [7]En el Día del Trabajo, Presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum anuncia mesas de diálogo para implementar, por consenso, la semana laboral de 40 horas –Presidencia de la República, May 1, 2025
  8. [8]Boletín 53/25 · Secretaría del Trabajo presenta proyecto de reforma para semana laboral de 40 horas, en beneficio de 13.4 millones de trabajadores –Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social, December 4, 2025
  9. [9]Boletín 15/2026 · STPS: Reforma laboral de 40 horas reduce jornada sin disminuir salarios y establece límites claros a horas extra –Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social, February 18, 2026
  10. [10]Boletín 17/2026 · Presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum destaca transformación del mundo laboral en 7 años y el consenso en la semana de 40 horas –Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social, March 2, 2026
  11. [11]Reducción de la jornada laboral a 40 horas · Preguntas frecuentes –Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social, March 25, 2026
  12. [12]COPARMEX respalda acuerdos tripartitos sobre el Salario Mínimo y reducción de jornada laboral gradual –Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (COPARMEX), December 3, 2025
  13. [13]La seguridad privada ante las 40 horas: liderar la transición o quedarnos atrás (Armando Zúñiga Salinas, vicepresidente de Comunicación de COPARMEX Nacional) –Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (COPARMEX), March 4, 2026
  14. [14]La jornada cambia. El trabajo también tiene que cambiar. (Lorenzo Roel Hernández, consejero delegado para asuntos OIT-OIE de COPARMEX) –Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (COPARMEX), October 19, 2026