Employers Seek to Cut Lunch Breaks as Mexico Weighs 40-Hour Week

Mexico City — A proposal to reduce Mexico’s standard workweek from 48 hours to 40 has met resistance from employers, who are urging the government to let them scrap lunch breaks and other pauses to absorb the shorter schedule.

The reform, one of the most closely watched changes on Mexico’s labor agenda, would give workers a second guaranteed rest day, improving work-life balance and reducing physical and mental strain. But business leaders warn that without adjustments, the move could hurt productivity and raise operating costs.

Employers push for uninterrupted shifts

Business groups argue that eliminating “dead time” during shifts—including the 30-minute meal break currently required under the Federal Labor Law—would allow companies to deliver eight uninterrupted hours of work. That, they say, would offset the additional rest day and keep companies running smoothly.

Government vows to protect rest breaks

The federal government has pushed back against that idea. Labor Secretary Marath Bolaños said the transition to a 40-hour week will not mean cutting any existing worker protections. He confirmed that the meal break and other rest periods established under the law would remain unchanged.

According to government officials, the reform could win approval by late 2025 and would be phased in gradually starting in early 2026. The proposal is part of a broader set of changes aimed at modernizing the country’s labor market.