Hotel and resort jobs in Cancún and the Riviera Maya

Pay and the minimum wage

Quintana Roo, home to Cancún and the Riviera Maya, is in Mexico's general minimum wage zone, not the higher northern border zone. Since 1 January 2026 the minimum is MXN 315.04 a day, or MXN 9,582.47 a month (Diario Oficial de la Federación; CONASAMI).

You must be paid at least weekly for manual work and at least every 15 days in other jobs. You are also owed (Ley Federal del Trabajo, Articles 71, 76, 80, 87 and 88):

• an aguinaldo (year-end bonus) of at least 15 days' pay before 20 December, or a share of it in your first year
• at least 12 working days of paid holiday after your first year, plus a holiday bonus of at least 25%
• at least 25% extra for working on a Sunday

Under a May 2026 reform, the maximum working week is 48 hours in 2026 and falls to 40 by 2030. Your employer must register you with IMSS, the social security institute (Ley del Seguro Social, Article 15).

Tips

Tipping is voluntary in Mexico, and no business may add a tip to the bill automatically (Profeco, September 2026). Tips that guests leave belong to the staff: employers may not keep any share (Ley Federal del Trabajo, Article 346). Ask how tips are shared when you compare offers.

Foreign workers

You cannot work in Mexico on a tourist entry (Ley de Migración, Article 52). You need a visa with permission to work. It starts with a job offer from an employer registered with the National Migration Institute (INM), and the employer applies to the INM (INM). Once approved, you collect the visa at a Mexican consulate, then have 30 days after arriving to apply for your residence card (Consulate of Mexico in Montreal). At least 90% of a company's workers must be Mexican, apart from directors and general managers (Labour Law, Article 7), so openings for foreigners are limited.

Languages

Spanish is the language of work. English is needed for most jobs with guests, and other languages help in guest relations and sales.

When resorts hire

The winter peak runs from mid-December to April, with more Mexican guests at Easter and in the July and August school holidays. Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November (Government of Quintana Roo).

Getting to work

Resorts stretch from the Cancún Hotel Zone and Costa Mujeres south along Highway 307 to Tulum, and Cozumel is a ferry ride from Playa del Carmen. Many staff live in Cancún city, Playa del Carmen or Tulum town, so ask whether the hotel runs a staff bus for early and late shifts.

How to apply

Apply on the job page in about a minute, in English or Spanish. Every job shows its pay. Mexican law bans employers from asking for money to give you a job (Labour Law, Article 133). If anyone asks, report it. Leer en español.