Carlos Slim proposes that the working week be three days and retirement at 75 years

Mexican businessman and billionaire Carlos Slim proposed this Friday three-day work weeks, with up to 36 hours, and retirement at age 75 to double the supply of jobs demanded by a growing Mexican productive force.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
04 September 2022 Sunday 05:30
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Carlos Slim proposes that the working week be three days and retirement at 75 years

Mexican businessman and billionaire Carlos Slim proposed this Friday three-day work weeks, with up to 36 hours, and retirement at age 75 to double the supply of jobs demanded by a growing Mexican productive force.

“As this new civilization develops and productivity rises to very high levels, many people, especially young people, do not find jobs or good jobs. So there is the approach that, I think that should really begin to be adopted, is that most people work three days, 11 or 12 hours, this would be 36 hours, but they retire until they are 75 years old, "said Slim.

The richest man in Mexico, during his participation in the Telmex-Telcel Foundation scholars' event "Mexico Siglo XXI", added that "the idea that a person retires at 60 or 65 is absurd" and that extending The age requirement to access this benefit will prevent the collapse of both public finances and social security and pension funds.

"It would also be very important so that the governments and the pension and social security funds are not bankrupt due to the inability to finance the retirement of people from 60 to 65 years of age," he asserted.

Likewise, he stressed that a new Mexican society is currently being constituted that requires education, health, training and, above all, "well-paid employment"; since it is involved in a "service society", in which physical work disappears.

Slim, 82, said that there are already examples in the world where a reduction to four days of work per week is implemented, but warned that this is not enough.

"Lowering work to four days does not open up new opportunities, but with three days employment could double where this happens," he insisted.

The owner of the Grupo Carso conglomerate said that the new society also "demands the fight against poverty and ignorance", which he assured is not a fight for ethical, moral or social justice issues, but "an economic necessity of this new civilization". .

He also commented that the new jobs should target the sectors of education, culture, entertainment and tourism, among others.