“Workweek reduction must be gradual, sector-based, and accompanied by a strategy to make up for eliminated hours: CCE”

Raymundo León

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Regarding the labor reforms currently being discussed in the Mexican Congress, he stated that they should be carefully analyzed, as some proposals are good.

However, strategies must be found to avoid losing productivity and to address salary compensation, since currently, social security covers paid leave starting from the fifth day, meaning that the first four days can be paid by employers but are not required by law.

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Elaborating further on the reduction of the working week, he mentioned that businesses work based on goals and objectives, and to achieve these, many factors must be considered, including human resources.

“The reduction of these hours requires a strategic rethinking to meet the goals. It’s not just about increasing the workload but finding strategies to cover the eight hours of work that will be reduced”.

He noted that this is an opportunity for workers to use these hours for personal matters, but it must be gradual. It should also be considered that there are sectors that work throughout the day with broken shifts, such as in the services industry.

The law requiring seating for workers

Additionally, he emphasized that the reforms must be clear. For example, this year, the the law requiring seating for workers came into effect, but the concept is still open to interpretation.

“There are supermarkets where workers are given very uncomfortable chairs. The goal is not to make their work more difficult but to ensure they have spaces to rest and sit down for a few minutes. The companies are complying, but we still need to clarify how it should be implemented.”

2025 Tip Law

This law, passed in April of this year by the Chamber of Deputies, which must be ratified by the Senate of the Republic, aims to ensure that employers do not manage or keep the tips of workers and that they receive a base salary separate from all social benefits.

“The company does not pay the tip as a salary; it’s the customer giving it. But how do I justify this outflow of money if it’s not on the payroll? This is the complicated part from a fiscal perspective.”

Other Reform Proposals

All income and expenses must be recorded, but non-deductible expenses are added to pay the ISR. These are the aspects that need to be carefully managed, as tips are an important income, and their outflow must be properly documented in the accounting records.

Other labor reforms under analysis include paid leave and licenses: two days per year for medical exams; an increase in maternity leave from 12 to 18 weeks; paternity leave from five to 20 days; new holidays on November 1st and 2nd, and December 12th; five days for mourning; and seven days for mental health.

“We need to find a balance, strategies that help us offer these benefits. If they are enshrined in the law, we must comply. It’s not that we don’t want to implement them, but we need to figure out how.”

He pointed out that, currently, companies have value chains with third parties, and providing more benefits to workers is not the problem, but rather how to meet strategic objectives that will ultimately benefit everyone within the company.

Labor Outlook in Baja California Sur

In the second quarter of 2025, 446,000 people were employed, a decrease of 10,000 compared to the second quarter of 2024. Restaurants and lodging services accounted for the largest decrease.

The underemployed population was 30,000 people, representing 6.8% of the employed population. This percentage was lower than in the second quarter of 2024 (8.9%).

In the second quarter of 2025, the informal labor rate stood at 36.7%, a higher figure compared to the same period in 2024, when it was 35.6%.

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The female EAP was 187,000, and the male EAP was 270,000—2,000 and 8,000 fewer people than in the second quarter of 2024, respectively. Thus, 55 out of every 100 women and 79 out of every 100 men of working age were economically active.