Global Shift Towards shorter Workweeks: Mexico Targets 40 Hours by 2030, Denmark Leads with 33
MEXICO CITY – โข As teh global conversation around work-life balance intensifies, two nations are charting distinct courses toward redefining the customary workweek. While Mexico aimsโ to reduceโ its standard โworkweek to 40 hours by 2030, Denmark is already experiencing the benefits of a โconsiderably shorter average of 33โข hours, withโข many companies experimenting with a four-day workweek. This divergence highlights contrasting approaches to improving worker wellbeing and productivity.
The push for reduced working hours is gaining momentum worldwide, โdrivenโค by research suggesting that shorter weeks can boost employee morale, reduce burnout, and even increase output. For Mexico, the proposed reform represents a meaningful step towards correcting ancient imbalancesโ and improving the quality of life for millions. Denmark’s โsuccess,built โon decades ofโ collective โbargaining and robust social protections,offers a potential model – but one โคrooted in a fundamentally different economic and cultural landscape. Theโ implications of these shifts extend beyond individual nations,signaling a potential global recalibration of work โขnorms.
mexico is currently โคundergoingโค a gradual legal reform with theโข goal of achieving a 40-hour workweek by 2030. This initiative seeks to addressโฃ a long-standing gapโ and strike โคa better balance between productivity and employee wellbeing.
In contrast, Denmark currently maintains an average workweek of โค33 hours, fueled by flexible work arrangements, โขa stable economy, and a strong emphasis โon employee wellness. This shorter workweek is a product of decades of collective bargaining and a comprehensive social safety net.
The Danish experience demonstratesโฃ that reducing โwork hours doesn’t necessarily equate to lost productivity; rather,it โขencourages a more โฃefficient reorganization of time. If implemented, Mexico’s reform could grant millions of workers โmore โขpersonal time starting โin 2026, without compromising their salaries or labor rights.
Related: โฃ In Russia, exceeding a 40-hourโ workweek is prohibited, and employees โขare entitled โคto 28 days of vacation after just sixโค months of employment.