Work Limits Exercise as Mobility Pressures Rise

Mexico’s long work hours and fatigue are increasingly limiting physical activity, as new labor data intersects with rising job mobility, retention challenges, and generational demands for flexibility.

Official statistics show that work has become the primary reason Mexicans do not exercise, even as employee turnover intentions reach historic levels. Business leaders and labor analysts say the convergence is reshaping how companies approach productivity, benefits, and workforce design.

Data from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) shows that 32.2% of physically inactive adults cited lack of time due to work or study, as well as fatigue, as the main reason for not exercising in 2025. The findings come from the latest edition of the Sports Practice and Physical Exercise Module (MOPRADEF).

In 2025, 44.5% of Mexicans aged 18 and older reported engaging in physical activity during their free time, making it the second-highest participation rate since measurements began in 2013. However, the same year marked the first time that work-related constraints ranked as the top barrier to exercise.

INEGI’s National Time Use Survey (ENUT) shows that Mexicans dedicate 48.8% of their weekly time to paid work. The remainder is largely spent on unpaid domestic labor, caregiving, or self-consumption production. Sport and exercise rank third among weekly activities, after media consumption and social or family interaction. Women dedicate 4.7 hours per week to exercise, compared with 5.4 hours for men.

Mexico’s legal workweek stands at 48 hours, with one day of rest. According to the International Labour Organization, one in four workers in Mexico logs more than 48 hours per week. A constitutional reform approved by the Senate proposes gradually reducing the workweek to 40 hours by 2030, though debate continues over rest-day provisions.

Trainers and employers report that hybrid and remote arrangements during the pandemic temporarily increased exercise participation, as commuting time fell. As companies reinstated in-person work, attendance at community training groups declined or shifted to earlier morning schedules.

The tension between working time and personal well-being is unfolding alongside broader labor market volatility.

Mobility and Retention Under Strain

Mexicans entered 2026 with high job-switching intentions. Research from Computrabajo and Pandapé indicates that nine in 10 workers are considering changing jobs this year. According to the same study, 56% of professionals rank working conditions above salary when evaluating new roles.

“Talent today does not compare only salaries; it compares experiences,” says Alejandra Martínez, Head of Labor Market Research, Computrabajo Mexico.

Data from BBVA Research shows that adjusted formal job growth slowed to 0.3% in 2025, the weakest performance outside the pandemic period. At the same time, more than half of Mexico’s workforce remains informal, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), limiting access to structured benefits and training.

Research published by Harvard Business Review analyzing nearly 1 million workers across 1,500 companies found that employees were more than twice as likely to remain after one year at firms where hiring, pay, development, and leadership operated as an integrated system. Isolated measures, such as higher starting pay, improved short-term retention but lost effect without advancement pathways and management quality.

Leadership quality also factors into attrition. A 2025 survey by employment platform OCC reports that nine in 10 Mexican professionals experienced poor leadership, and nearly three in 10 resigned due to negative management behavior.

Parallel trends are shaping expectations among younger workers. Generation Z is projected to represent roughly 12.7% of Mexico’s workforce by the end of 2026, according to Tec de Monterrey. Commentary from Collective Academy and WeWork argues that younger professionals prioritize purpose, mental health and flexibility over tenure or hierarchy.

Claudio Hidalgo, Regional President, WeWork, writes that flexibility is increasingly a performance strategy rather than a perk. A joint WeWork and PageGroup study found that only 14% of Gen Z workers and 15% of millennials in Mexico prefer fully in-person models, compared with 38% of baby boomers.

Meanwhile, the adoption of AI  in hiring and skills verification is accelerating. LinkedIn data shows that demand for AI skills in Mexico rose 148% between 2023 and 2025. The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that 40% of job skills will change by 2030.

Benefits, Well-Being, and Productivity

Employers are responding by expanding benefits portfolios and digital tools. Carlos Ferrer, Director General, Pluxee Mexico, says retention strategies increasingly include telemedicine, mental health support, and financial flexibility tools. Pluxee estimates that consumption through food and store vouchers represents US$5.3 billion annually in Mexico. 

“Employee loyalty today is not just about staying; it is about choosing the company every day,” says Agustín Perelman, Co-Founder, Bonda.

Broader surveys reinforce the link between well-being and turnover risk. Research cited by Randstad indicates that work-life balance now surpasses pay as a primary motivator globally. A Guardian Life Insurance report found that employees with positive leave experiences were 75% more likely to remain for five years or more.

The intersection of long workweeks, fatigue, and mobility suggests that productivity debates are shifting from hours worked to system design. Employers face pressure to reduce burnout while maintaining output in a context of slow growth and structural informality.

As Mexico advances toward a 40-hour workweek by 2030, analysts say the policy shift may influence time allocation but will not alone resolve retention or well-being gaps. Evidence across surveys and employer data indicates that job quality, flexibility, leadership, and integrated benefits systems increasingly determine whether workers remain — and whether they find time for activities beyond work, including exercise.

For companies, the convergence of physical inactivity, job mobility, and generational change signals a broader recalibration of labor strategy. In a tightening, skills-driven market, retention and productivity are emerging less as outcomes of compensation levels alone and more as reflections of how work is structured, supported and measured.