Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

MexicoBonusesEmployee relationsEmployee communicationsPay & benefits

Employment law in Mexico: six striking facts

by Laura Merrylees 18 Jan 2016
by Laura Merrylees 18 Jan 2016 Mexico's Day of the Dead parade in the film Spectre. © Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/REX Shutterstock
Mexico's Day of the Dead parade in the film Spectre. © Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/REX Shutterstock

Do blue-collar and white-collar workers have to be paid at different intervals? Is it mandatory to pay Mexican employees a share of an employer’s profits? Are employees entitled to paid holiday?

Global employers that operate in Mexico can find out about their legal obligations and more in XpertHR’s guide to employment law in Mexico.

Below, we highlight six interesting facts about employment law in Mexico, including some of its unusual features.

Employment law in Mexico 

Contracts of employment
Employee rights
Equal opportunities
Health and safety
Industrial relations
Pay and benefits
Recruitment and selection
Termination of employment
Training and development

Also available: Employment law in Mexico (US version)

1. Profit sharing

All employees in Mexico are entitled to a share of their employer’s annual profits.

Half of the profits are shared equally among all employees in proportion to days worked, with the remaining half being shared according to pay earned.

2. Payment of wages

White-collar employees must be paid fortnightly and blue-collar employees must be paid weekly.

Mexican employees are entitled to a Christmas bonus, worth a minimum of 15 days’ pay, to be paid by 20 December each year.

3. Holiday

After one year’s service with their employer, staff are entitled to just six working days of paid annual leave, increasing by amounts of two days as service accrues.

Employees are entitled to a holiday bonus from their employer, equal to at least 25% of their normal pay for the period of leave.

In addition to seven public holidays, every six years employees are entitled to a paid day off on 1 December for the inauguration of a new president.

4. Probationary periods

Where the employment contract is to last for more than 180 days or for an indefinite period, the employer may put in place a probationary period of up to 30 days.

This period can be extended by up to 180 days for managerial, technical or professional positions.

5. Foreign nationals

Foreign nationals working in Mexico require a resident card or visa, resulting from a job offer. Mexican employers need to ensure that at least 90% of a company’s employees – excluding managers – are Mexican nationals.

All technical and professional employees must be Mexican nationals, unless there are no Mexican nationals qualified in a particular field. In these circumstances, foreign nationals may be employed on a temporary basis in order to train Mexican nationals.

6. Internal work rules

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Under Mexican employment law, employers are obliged to set up a joint employer-employee work committee with a set of internal work rules.

The rules must deal with a number of matters including the day and place of payment of wages, prevention of work accidents and the time employees arrive and leave work.

Laura Merrylees

previous post
Case on role of HR in disciplinary proceedings settles
next post
Fit for Work service: raising employer awareness

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Immigration white paper: which jobs will be affected?

19 May 2025

Legislation could block bonuses at Thames Water

16 May 2025

Next to improve wage-setting transparency after shareholder pressure

16 May 2025

‘Polygamous working’ is a minefield for HR

14 May 2025

Immigration white paper: 10 key points and reaction

12 May 2025

Immigration white paper: strict limits on overseas recruitment

12 May 2025

How can businesses build protections for gig workers?

7 May 2025

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

2 May 2025

Ofgem workers ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+