hire employees in

Mexico,
made easy

SALARY PAYMENT IN Mexican Peso (MXN, $)

CONTRACT LANGUAGES Spanish / English

PAYROLL TAX 36.69% – 43.72%

PAYROLL CYCLE Bi-weekly

TIME TO HIRE 12 hours

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Mexico

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO

Hire Employees in Mexico - Overview

Mexico is Latin America’s — and one of the world’s — strongest economies. Mexico has a well-educated and highly-skilled workforce.

It is a prime location for hiring overseas staff, but in doing so it is crucial to follow Mexican labor laws and employment ettiquette.

In this guide we set out everything you need to know about hiring employees in Mexico.

Facts & Stats

Population

130.3M (Labor Force 57.3 million)

Capital City

Mexico City

Languages Spoken

Spanish

Currency

Mexican Peso

GDP per capita

10.045,68 USD (2021)

Ease of Doing Business

60th in the world

Minimum Wage

248.93 Pesos per day in 2024 (14.5 USD per day)

Average Wage

485 Pesos per day in 2022 (24-25 USD per day)

Paid Leave

6-10 days (7 national holidays)

Mexico: Business Environment

Business outlook

In 2020 GDP decreased by 8.2% in Mexico due to the pandemic slowdowns. By 2021, GDP increased by 4.8% and recovered well after the pandemic ridden economy. In 2022, the Mexican economy is projected to expand by 1.9%, which is not a bad figure considering the global economic outlook in 2022.

Regardless, Mexico is the 15^th largest economy in the world. Mexico has a workforce that is very valuable. The country boasts of well-educated employees and relatively low average wages. Mexico could be the perfect destination for you to expand your business, considering these facts, and Horizons can offer you comprehensive employment solutions for expanding a business or starting a new business in Mexico.

Business regulation

Business regulation for employing candidates can be strict in Mexico. There are labor laws in Mexico surrounding things like minimum wage, overtime pay, discrimination, terminations, medical leave, and paid holiday leave. Navigating this can be complex, and therefore it is recommended to seek help from global PEO experts at Horizons to ensure you are in compliance with Mexican government labor laws when hiring candidates.

Business culture

In Mexico there will be some similarities between the American and European workplace. However, there are some key elements to consider.

Business relationships in Mexico are built on mutual trust between employee and employer. It is common in Mexico to chat about personal and non-work/business matters before discussing specific tasks on hand. This is important to keep in mind during an interview process with a candidate.

In addition, it is important to be on time for meetings. However, it is common for meetings in Mexico to extend longer than they are planned for, and sometimes conversations about things that are not on the agenda will arise.

Recruiting employees in Mexico

Recruiting employees in Mexico – Overview

As in most countries, when recruiting employees, you have the option to set up a new local legal entity in Mexico, or to engage with a global PEO (professional employer organization) to hire and act as the EOR (employer of record) for your workforce. By engaging a global PEO, like Horizons, the employees still work solely for your enterprise, but the global PEO takes care of recruitment and all employment compliance obligations.

Most important recruitment tools in Mexico

OCCMundial
https://www.occ.com.mx
OCCMundial is the most popularly used job board in Mexico. Major medium and large companies in Mexico will primarily recruit on this job board. The job board has reportedly over 4 million visitors in Mexico.

Indeed
https://mx.indeed.com
Indeed is a global job board website that also operated with popularity in Mexico. This is a good place to recruit for global talent.

Bumeran
https://www.bumeran.com.mx
On Bumeran you can post job advertisements for free. Bumeran is also popularly used in Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela.

Interviewing employees in Mexico

Interviewing employees in Mexico – Overview

In Mexico interviews can sometimes be less formal than in North America and some European countries. This means that personal conversations are expected. Business relationships in Mexico are built on trust, therefore most interviews are preferably held in person, rather than online. After the COVID-19 pandemic, more interviews are being conducted online, however, when possible, you should conduct interviews in person in Mexico to keep up with business practice standards.

Can I ask the candidate’s previous salary in Mexico?

Yes, you can ask for a candidate’s previous salary, however they do not legally need to disclose that information to you. As in most countries, generally asking a candidate’s previous salary is not recommended and can be considered a bad interviewing practice.

What is the typical salary increase at a new job in Mexico?

In Mexico, employees get an increase in their salary every 18 months. Depending on industry and the employee’s experience level this figure can vary, however, on average the salary increase every 18 months is typically around 8%.

Onboarding employees in Mexico

Onboarding employees in Mexico – Overview

Onboarding employees in Mexico can become very complex. Mexico is known to have more strict labor laws than its North American counterparts. Wages are low, however there are many collective bargaining and trade unions throughout Mexico that can make for a complex onboarding process.

It is recommended to hire a global PEO, like Horizons, to help recruit, employ, onboard, and pay your employees. Consult with us and see how we can personally tailor your employment expansion to your business needs. Horizons will make sure your onboarding process is within compliance with Mexican government regulations.

Best remote working tools to use in Mexico

In Mexico, remote working software like Microsoft Office, GoTo Meeting, and Monday.com are all widely used. Many educated individuals in Mexico are familiar with these online remote working tools and are likely able to adapt to the online tools your business uses.

Holiday season in Mexico — 2024

Holiday Schedule in Mexico [2024]

National public holidays in Mexico in 2024 include:

Date	Holiday name
01 Jan, 2024	New Year’s Day
05 Feb, 2024	Constitution Day
18 Mar, 2024	Benito Juarez Day
01 May, 2024	International Labor Day
16 Sep, 2024	Independence Day
3rd Monday in November	Revolution Day
Additional holiday that comes every six years	Presidential Inauguration Day
25 Dec, 2024	Christmas Day

What is the typical salary increase employees in Mexico expect?

Salary increases are expected every 18 months in Mexico. Salary increase is dependent on how many years the employee has been with you, their level of position in the business (i.e., junior, mid-level, senior-level), the industry, and their performance. With these factors in mind, typically salary increase is around 8% every 18 months.

FAQs

Should I hire freelancers or employees in Mexico?

Hiring freelancers in Mexico can keep wage costs low. It is quite affordable, and it is estimated a freelancer will cost nearly 50% less than a full-time employee in Mexico. With that said, freelancers are independent contractors. This means they will have other clients and they may not prioritize your work over other clients’ work.

Hiring employees in Mexico also requires you to comply with many labor laws, like sick leave, termination, severance, and holiday paid leave. These are things you won’t need to include when hiring freelancers in Mexico. Whether hiring freelancers or employees, Horizons is here to help you make the right, legal, and proper employment choices for your business’ expansion to Mexico.

Can I hire foreigners in Mexico?

Yes, you can. The process of obtaining work permits for Mexico can be complex, and it’s necessary that you get it right if you want to avoid obstacles and delays to your expansion. At Horizons, our global expansion team offers extensive work visa support services, immigrations advice, and customized outsourcing. This will give your business everything necessary to quickly and compliantly kickstart your expansion into Mexico. If your expansion or start-up includes hiring foreign workers in Mexico, Horizons can help navigate that as well.

How do I open a Mexico subsidiary?

Whether you are expanding into Mexico or starting up, it is crucial to understand which situation is best for you. Opening a subsidiary in Mexico can be complex. A PEO like Horizons offers any foreign company with intentions to expand globally with the convenience of turning into its subsidiary in Mexico, instead of going through the rigorous process and legal challenge of forming a legal entity in Mexico. Horizons can take care of hiring, outboarding, and paying your employees in Mexico to make for your expansion into Mexico to run smoothly.

How do I hire employees in Mexico?

Hiring employees in Mexico can be complex and involve making detailed employment contracts, adhering to all labor laws, and understanding fully the business culture. A global PEO, like Horizons, can help with all your employment needs for an expansion or start in Mexico. Horizons can help you recruit, hire, and pay your employees quickly and compliantly and offer expert guidance throughout.

Hiring in Mexico, Made Easy

Your business can easily hire employees in Mexico without opening a local entity. We handle local employment law, complex tax regulations, and international payroll in 180+ countries worldwide. All you need to do is focus on your business.

Success stories from businesses we’ve helped enter and grow in new markets.

Client Testimonials

"As a seed-stage, London-based startup, we were initially hesitant to expand internationally due to the administrative workload involved. Horizons took the headache out of the process, allowing us to hire a team of software engineers in Germany."

Gabor SzedlakCo-founder & COO at MindLabs (UK)

"I truly appreciated the thoroughness and the professionalism of Horizons personnel while we hired internationally with them. They were knowledgable on all subject matters pertaining to international employment."

Gary PaskyVP Software Development, PICS ITech (USA)

"On deciding to begin commercial activities in Asia Pacific, we needed a provider to handle the employment and remuneration of our workforce. With Horizons the result was fast, efficient, and fit-for-purpose. We recommend Horizons as an EOR provider.”

Chris MorrellManaging Director, Schaeffler Group (Germany)

"The collaboration with the Horizons team is excellent. Both our local employee as well as our HQ in Germany are more than pleased with the support provided and the simplicity of the service. We can highly recommend the Horizons solution to anyone."

Christoph EngelbertCo-Founder & CTO, Clevabit (Germany)

"We needed an EOR that could provide expert support for payroll in APAC. We are pleased with Horizons’ expertise and the fact that they are flexible, responsive, and easily accessible from Belgium. They were able to provide services within the short timeline we required."

Katia FlamandHuman Resources, Devian Chemicals (Belgium)

hire employees in

Mexico,
made easy

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO