Reduction of Work Week Hours

As we anticipated in our previous note, on March 3rd, 2026, the amendment to Article 123 of the Mexico’s Federal Constitution (the “Amendment”), regarding the reduction of the workweek, was published in the Federal Official Gazette (“DOF”, for its acronym in Spanish).

As immediate actions, at Cannizzo we recommend employers to analyze and implement the following measures to mitigate risks:

– Conduct a comprehensive review of employment contracts, policies, regulations, and other current labor documents in order to identify and redesign shifts and working hours.

– Keep all documentation related to working hours and shifts up to date in order to be prepared for a possible inspection by the labor authority.

– Conduct a real mapping of working hours to determine actions that could mitigate the impact on operating costs.

– Execute a labor and productivity costs under the Reform to determine alternative scenarios, whether through hiring additional staff and adding shifts, overtime costs, or replacement costs through process automation. Primarily, for industries or activities that require uninterrupted activities.

– In general, evaluate the internal organization of functions and workloads to anticipate possible impacts pursuant to the Reform.

This Amendment foresees changes as follows:

The reduction of the workweek will take effect on January 1st of the corresponding year, in accordance with the following rules:

The Amendment maintains a maximum limit of up to twelve (12) hours of overtime per week, distributed in no more than four (4) hours per day and for no more than four (4) days.

On the other hand, the Amendment granted a period of ninety (90) calendar days to the Mexican Congress to implement the corresponding amendments to secondary provisions; hence, we strongly recommend anticipating to these additional changes.

At Cannizzo, we offer tailored advice to assist you in the preparation of implementation scenarios, and assist you in the review of your internal employment documentation to ensure compliance with the new employer obligations regarding work shifts.

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