In Mexico’s complex labor landscape, various aspects such as the participation of the economically active population, the situation of youth employment, gender disparities, child labor issues, wages and their distribution, as well as labor migration, the presence of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, and the labor inclusion of people with disabilities, outline a multifaceted scenario.
The pandemic has left a significant mark, with millions of jobs lost, especially in the informal sector and among youth, although a gradual recovery is observed. This snapshot of employment in Mexico prompts us to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the country in labor matters.
Employment rate and economically active population
1. The economically active population (EAP) is 60.7 million people (59.9%). (INEGI)
2. The economically inactive population is 40.7 million people. (INEGI)
3. The unemployed population is 1.6 million people, with an unemployment rate (UR) of 2.6% of the EAP. (INEGI)
4. The employed population in micro-businesses is 703 thousand people; in small establishments, 412 thousand, and in large ones, 115 thousand. (INEGI)
5. The underemployed population is 4.7 million people and represented 8% of the employed population. (INEGI)
6. The highest rates of labor informality by state were reported in Oaxaca (81.5%), Guerrero (77.4%), and Chiapas (75.4%). (INEGI)
7. The lowest rates of labor informality were recorded in Coahuila de Zaragoza (33.8%), Chihuahua (36.1%), Baja California (36.7%), and Nuevo León (36.9%). (INEGI)
8. The employment rate in the informal sector remained stable in the first and second quarters of 2023, staying at 28.2%. However, there was a slight increase in the third quarter, reaching 28.3%. (INEGI)
9. In 2023, the percentage of the population aged 15 and over in labor informality remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 55.2% in the first quarter to 55.0% in the third quarter. (INEGI)
10. The cities with the highest underemployment rates were: Ciudad del Carmen (21.1%), Tlaxcala (15.2%), Coatzacoalcos (14.7%), Mexico City (12.4%), León (11.7%), and Tapachula (11%). (INEGI)
11. 11% of the potential workforce is unemployed. (IMCO)
Youth and employment
12. 700,000 people aged 20 to 29 are seeking but not finding employment. (EL ECONOMISTA)
13. 13. The unemployment rate among youth is 5.3%. (EL ECONOMISTA)
14. Only 4 out of 10 young people have access to retirement savings systems. (EL ECONOMISTA)
15. 48.8% of employed youth work between 38 and 48 hours per week. (IMCO)
16. 44.9% of working youth earn the minimum wage or less.(IMCO)
17. 83% of youth are not available for work. (IMCO)
18. 2 out of 10 youth are available for work but do not seek employment. (IMCO)
19. 61.2% of youth have worked at some point. (INEE)
20. 79.6% of youth are satisfied with their jobs. (INEE)
21. 21. 28.6% of working youth dedicate themselves solely to their employment. (INEE)
Child labor
22. 3.7 million children and adolescents are engaged in hazardous or age-inappropriate occupations. (EL ECONOMISTA)
23. 59.5% of working children are boys and 40.5% are girls. (EL ECONOMISTA)
24. Child labor increased by 14% between 2019 and 2022. (EL ECONOMISTA)
25. 33.3% of children work in support roles in agricultural, livestock, hunting, and fishing activities. (EL ECONOMISTA)
26. 25.7% work in mining, construction, and industry. (EL ECONOMISTA)
27. 15% work as traders or sales employees. (EL ECONOMISTA)
28. 34,805 cases of serious occupational accidents were recorded. (EL ECONOMISTA)
29. 32% of children work for pleasure or to help. (INEGI)
30. 23% of children work to pay for their school and/or their own expenses. (INEGI)
31. 7% of children work because their household needs their financial contribution. (INEGI)
32. Nearly 50% of working children do not receive income. (INEGI)
Wages
33. The average monthly salary is $5,710 MXN. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
34. 47% of workers earn the equivalent of 1 minimum wage. (EL ECONOMISTA)
35. 39% of workers earn between 1 and 2 minimum wages. (EL ECONOMISTA)
36. 10% of workers earn 2 to 3 minimum wages. (EL ECONOMISTA)
37. 4% of workers earn 4 minimum wages. (EL ECONOMISTA)
38. 1% de los trabajadores gana 5 salarios mínimos. (EL ECONOMISTA)
39. 45% of Mexicans have insufficient income to overcome poverty. (FORBES)
40. Over 9 million Mexicans receive insufficient salaries despite having formal employment. (FORBES)
41. Sinaloa is the state with the highest prevalence of low wages, at 62.6%. (FORBES)
42. The following states with prevalent low wages are Guerrero, at 61.7%; Oaxaca, at 60.9%; Durango, at 58.5%; Chiapas, at 56.6%; Tlaxcala and Michoacán, each at 56.2%; and Nayarit, at 55.3%. (FORBES)
Positions with the most workers and their characteristics
43. The occupation with the highest number of workers was “Sales employees, dispatchers, and store attendants” with 3.62 million workers. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
44. Sales employees, dispatchers, and store attendants earn an average of $3.64K MXN. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
45. Sales employees, dispatchers, and store attendants work an average of 44.2 hours per week. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
46. The second job with the most employees is “Traders in establishments” with 2.93 million workers. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
47. The average age of Traders in establishments is 48.3 years. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
48. The highest salaries for Traders in establishments are found in Sinaloa ($9.62k MXN), Baja California Sur ($8.86k MXN), and Durango ($7.79k MXN). (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
49. The third job that concentrates the most workers is Support Workers in Agricultural Activities, with a total of 2.22 million. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
50. The average salary of Support Workers in Agricultural Activities is $3.46k MXN, working 35.6 hours per week. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
51. The average age of Support Workers in Agricultural Activities is 36.6 years. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
52. 100% of Support Workers in Agricultural Activities in Yucatán are informal workers (16k out of 16k). (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
Employment and labor migration
53. 1 in 3 Mexicans who emigrated did so for labor reasons. (SCIELO)
54. 66.2% of returning migrants from the United States were part of the Economically Active Population. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
55. Of the returning migrants from the United States, 45,480 are women and 231,406 are men. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
56. The main sectors for labor insertion for female immigrants are the service sector (53.2%) and commerce (27.4%). (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
57. The main sectors for labor insertion for male immigrants are services (30%) and agriculture (23.7%). (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
58. 72% of migrants to the United States lack documents authorizing them to work in the country. (SCIELO)
59. 21.9% of migrants to the United States have green cards or some other document. (SCIELO)
60. 73,038 foreigners in Mexico are border workers. (SCIELO)
61. 1/4 of the population believes that “when there is unemployment, employment should be denied to foreign individuals”. (EL ECONOMISTA)
62. GDP could grow by up to 7% if migrant talent were utilized. (EL ECONOMISTA)
Employment in the ICT industry
63. There are approximately 1,550,000 people trained in computer science. (EL ECONOMISTA)
64. 76% of people trained in computer science have engaged in economic activities. (EL ECONOMISTA)
65. 2% of the population is engaged in the ICT industry. (EL ECONOMISTA)
66. 77% of ICT industry workers are men. (EL ECONOMISTA)
67. The training of ICT specialists averages between 4 and 5 years. (EL ECONOMISTA)
68. ICT professionals primarily work as professionals and technicians (55%), in office activities (14%), in trade-related tasks (10%), or hold managerial positions as officials and executives (7%). (INEGI)
69. ICT professionals mainly work in a subordinate and paid manner (86%), followed by those who are self-employed (10%) and those who are employers (3%). (INEGI)
70. 84 out of 100 ICT professionals have medical service benefits, 89 out of 100 have other types of benefits, and 70 out of 100 have a written contract of indefinite, base, or permanent employment. (INEGI)
71. Out of every 10 ICT professionals, 7 are aged 20 to 39, 2 are aged 40 to 49, and 1 is aged 50 and over. (INEGI)
72. ICT professionals earn an average of $69 pesos per hour and work an average of 42 hours per week. (INEGI)
Employment and the Pandemic
73. During the pandemic, 12.5 million jobs were lost. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
74. 10.4 million of the lost jobs were informal positions. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
75. 2.1 million of the lost jobs were formal positions. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
76. 63% of the lost jobs were in service positions. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
77. 242,000 lost jobs during the pandemic affected young people aged 15 to 34. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
78. 47% of the lost jobs were held by individuals aged 15 to 44. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
79. 56% of the lost jobs had salaries between one and two minimum wages. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
80. 64% of the lost jobs during the pandemic have been recovered. (KONFÍO)
81. Out of the 12 million people who left the labor market in April, 7.8 million have returned to the labor market. (KONFÍO)
82. Currently, the employed population is 3.5 million more than before the impact of the pandemic. (EL ECONOMISTA)
Gender and Employment
83. 40.6% of workers are women and 59.4% percent are men. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
84. The participation rate of men and women in unpaid domestic work was 96.4% and 65.4% respectively. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
85. Remunerated economic participation shows a significant gap, with 45.95% for women and 76.32% for men. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
86. The unemployment rate is 2.72% for women and 2.62% for men. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
87. Men earn an average hourly wage of $52.20, while women earn $50.84. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
88. On average, men work 44.51 hours per week and women work 37.33 hours. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
89. The retirement rate shows a marked difference, with 30.68% for men and 14.06% for women. (GOBIERNO DE MÉXICO)
90. 13.9% of workers in senior positions in a company are women. (EL ECONOMISTA)
91. 38% of the workforce is represented by women. (EL ECONOMISTA)
92. 54% of companies have set gender representation goals. (EL ECONOMISTA)
