What are the standard working hours in Mexico?

In Mexico, working hours are regulated by the Constitution and the Federal Labor Law to ensure fair treatment and compensation for employees. Here's a breakdown of the key rules and guidelines regarding standard working hours and overtime.


Standard Working Hours

  • Maximum Working Hours:
    Employees in Mexico are allowed to work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. This standard applies to most types of employment and is outlined in Article 123 of the Mexican Constitution.

  • Work Day Variations:
    According to Article 85 of the Federal Labor Law, the length of a standard workday varies depending on the time of day and the type of shift:

    • Day Shift: 8 hours
    • Night Shift: 7 hours (if working exclusively during night hours)
    • Mixed Shift (Day and Night): 7.5 hours

  • These regulations ensure that employees are not overworked, particularly during night shifts, which can be more physically and mentally taxing.


Overtime Regulations

  • Maximum Overtime:
    Employees can work a maximum of 9 hours of overtime per week. Beyond this limit, additional overtime is generally not permitted to protect workers from excessive hours.

  • Overtime Compensation:

    • First 9 Hours of Overtime:
      For the first 9 hours of overtime worked in a week, employees are entitled to 200% of their regular pay. This doubled pay rate compensates employees for the extra time spent at work.

    • Additional Overtime or Work on Rest Days/Holidays:
      Any overtime beyond the initial 9 hours, or work done on rest days, days off, or holidays, must be compensated at 300% of the regular pay. This triple pay rate reflects the higher value placed on employees' time during these periods.

    • Case law: the overtime shall be not without ever exceeding 3 hours a day or 3 times in a week. In the event of non-compliance with this prohibition, overtime will be paid with 200%  more than the salary corresponding to each of the hours of the day (300%）, and the salary for Sundays and mandatory rest, with a double salary f or the service rendered, regardless of the salary that must be paid for each Sunday or mandatory rest day.


Reference：Working days | Federal Attorney for the Defense of Labor | Government | gob.mx (www.gob.mx)


Was this article helpful?

That’s Great!

Thank you for your feedback

Sorry! We couldn't be helpful

Thank you for your feedback

Let us know how can we improve this article!

Select at least one of the reasons
CAPTCHA verification is required.

Feedback sent

We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article