The Mexicans work 48 hours per week, have only one day off and 12 days of vacation per year: the country that works the most in the OECD will switch to a 40

Australia is one of the OECD countries where residents work the most, with over 2,200 hours per person per year. A new law has been adopted to gradually reduce the weekly working hours from 48 to 40 by 2030.

Mexican employees have an exhausting routine, working 48 hours per week. Even on their only day off, after running errands and household chores, there is little time left for rest, leisure, or spending time with family.

To address this issue, a law was passed by Parliament in late February to decrease the weekly working hours from 48 to 40 by 2030, without any loss of salary. The working hours will decrease by two hours per year, reaching 46 hours in 2027, 44 hours in 2028, 42 hours in 2029, and finally 40 hours in 2030.

Mexico currently leads the OECD with over 2,200 working hours per employee per year, compared to just over 1,700 for the OECD average and 1,500 in France. Despite working a significant number of hours, Mexican workers earn the lowest average salary (about $20,000 per year, compared to $61,000 for the OECD average in purchasing power parity).

This reform, championed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, follows in the footsteps of her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who tripled the minimum wage to $14 per day and doubled the number of paid holidays. During his term from 2018 to 2024, 13 million people were lifted out of poverty.

(Short Context: Mexico is known for having one of the longest work hours among OECD countries, leading to the recent implementation of a law to reduce working hours gradually.)

(Short Fact Check: The new law may not benefit over 55% of Mexican workers who are in the informal sector, and there are concerns about the absence of a guaranteed minimum of two rest days per week.)

(Short Context: Some fear that the cost of labor may increase due to the reduction of working hours.)

(Short Fact Check: Despite concerns, reducing working hours could potentially boost productivity in the Mexican economy, which currently struggles with low productivity levels.)