Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum announced an agreement with employers and unions to cut Mexico’s statutory week from 48 to 40 hours through annual stepdowns from 2026 to 2030 without reducing pay.
- Mexico’s plan requires constitutional and labor-law changes, with the schedule reported as 46 hours in 2026, 44 in 2027, 42 in 2028, 41 in 2029 and 40 in 2030.
- Spain’s government-backed shift to 37.5 hours with full pay has been blocked in Congress, leaving the proposal stalled despite broader European moves toward shorter weeks.
- Italy has operated on a 40-hour standard since 2003 under EU rules and is studying four-day, 32-hour arrangements through sectoral and collective agreements.
- Greece passed a law allowing up to 13-hour days on 37 days per year with a 48-hour weekly cap and a 40% overtime premium, drawing union protests over overwork and job security.