Carlos Slim, one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen, is pushing a vision for the future of work that challenges conventional thinking: compress the standard workweek into just three days, with 11- to 12-hour shifts, while keeping salaries intact and extending the retirement age to 75. The proposal differs from Mexico’s statutory reform and has reignited debate over balancing productivity with worker well-being and economic chance.
Slim’s plan rests on the idea that concentrating 33 to 36 working hours into fewer, longer days would give employees four days off each week. The model could let companies rotate teams and create additional openings, particularly for younger workers, without reducing pay. Slim has also linked later retirement to longer life expectancy and the long-term financing of pensions and formal employment.
Clashing with Official Reform
Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved a bill to reduce the maximum workweek from 48 hours to 40 by 2030. The reported vote was 469 in favor and none against, and the measure was described as affecting about 13.4 million workers. The transition is gradual: 48 hours in 2026, 46 in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030. The reform protects salaries, wages and benefits as hours are reduced, but it does not mandate either a four-day week or Slim’s three-day model.
The statutory change sets a weekly ceiling instead of prescribing a universal shift pattern. The constitutional rule provides for one rest day for every six days worked, so reducing weekly hours does not, by itself, guarantee two weekly rest days. Alejandro Salafranca, head of the Unidad de Trabajo Digno at Mexico’s Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, said about 80% of the workforce should be able to adopt the 40-hour schedule without difficulty, particularly workers with fixed workplaces and established start and finish times. Employers can set the pace of adjustment, he said, as long as they meet the required minimum reduction of two hours per year.
The reported implementation structure keeps the 2026 weekly ceiling at 48 ordinary hours and limits overtime to nine double-paid hours and four triple-paid hours. The ceiling then falls by two hours each year, reaching 40 hours on January 1, 2030. The standard daytime shift remains capped at eight hours; combining regular hours with overtime does not automatically entitle workers to a three-day, 12-hour schedule. Any such arrangement would have to comply separately with daily-hour rules, overtime restrictions and required rest periods.
Organized labor has backed the reduction and is seeking a role in its implementation across industries. Tereso Medina, a leader of the Confederación de Trabajadores de México, called the move from 48 to 40 hours a historic union demand and said the next stage would involve discussions among employers and business chambers, with unions and government representatives also taking part. The Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana has likewise said the change is not intended to reduce wages or benefits, while stressing the need to reorganize work and operations. These discussions matter because sector-specific arrangements, not a single mandated shift pattern, will determine how the lower weekly ceiling works in practice.
Health and Safety Concerns
Longer shifts raise impressive questions about worker health and safety. Research from the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggests that 12-hour shifts increase the risk of accidents and errors by 28% compared with eight-hour days. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also warns that extended hours can contribute to fatigue and stress, with reduced concentration a further risk, especially in physically demanding or high-stakes sectors. Healthcare and transportation face these concerns, as do emergency services.
The impact of such schedules depends on the work and the timing of shifts, as well as the availability of adequate breaks and recovery periods. Any move toward longer workdays would require safeguards to protect employees from burnout and workplace hazards.
Retirement Age: No Legal Change
While Slim advocates raising the retirement age to 75, current Mexican law allows workers to claim an IMSS pension from age 60, with old-age benefits available from 65, subject to contribution requirements. The workweek reform does not change those ages or require anyone to work longer. Raising the retirement age would require a separate change to the pension system; the proposal’s connection to life expectancy and pension financing is distinct from the legislation reducing weekly hours.
Broader Context and Debate
Slim’s proposal has sparked discussion about the future of work in Mexico and how societies worldwide should respond to demographic shifts and changing economic realities. The tension between shorter workweeks and sustainable pensions extends beyond Mexico. In Spain, debates over work-life balance and traditional employment models have also come to the fore, including among young professionals choosing self-employment in agriculture. One such case is that of a mechanical engineer who left a stable job to run her own vineyard, detailed in this recent report.
As Mexico’s phased reduction moves forward, the difference between a lower statutory weekly ceiling and Slim’s compressed three-day schedule remains basic. The reform preserves pay while gradually reducing maximum weekly hours; Slim’s proposal would concentrate work into longer shifts and tie the debate to later retirement. How businesses and workers, alongside policymakers, weigh flexibility against health and economic security will shape the practical future of both ideas.
