Unemployment in Mexico Holds Steady at 3.4%

Employment in the informal sector skyrocketed in February to its highest level in 30 months

In Mexico City the second highest unemployment rate in the country was registered with 5.60% of economically active looking for employment, only below Tabasco (7.82 percent).

During February 2019 the proportion of Mexicans working in the informal sector represented 57.73% of the total workforce , this is the highest level since August 2016 (57.83 percent). This situation means an important setback in labor matters since it reflected an increase in workers under schemes of social vulnerability and / or economically vulnerable.

Accompanying this negative movement within the labor market, unemployment remained almost at the same level as in January. The Unemployment Rate went from 3.48 to 3.42%, according to figures from the National Occupation and Employment Survey ( ENOE ) of Inegi.

In the urban regions there was a higher level of unemployment than the national average, 4 out of every 100 economically active people claimed to be in search of a job without getting it.

Another item that remained almost without movements was the level of underemployed in the country.The percentage of employed persons looking to work longer to complete their needs increased from 6.72 to 6.69 percent.

The most pronounced decline in labor was observed in the percentage of the employed population under critical employment conditions. During February it was recorded that 20 of every 100 workers have excessive working hours or inadequate income, this is the highest level since the ENOE (2005) records are kept.

Tabasco and CDMX, at the head of unemployment 

The unemployment in some states was significantly higher than the national average. Tabasco topped the list with a ratio of 8 out of every 100 economically active Mexicans seeking employment. Then Mexico Citywas placed with the second highest rate of unemployment in the country, 6 out of 100 are included in this situation. 

Other entities with vacancy rates higher than the national rate were Durango (4.63%), Sonora (4.25%), the State of Mexico (4.25%), Colima (4.06%), Guanajuato (4.03%), Tlaxcala (4.02%), Coahuila (3.87%), Tamaulipas (3.83%), Chiapas (3.62%), Sinaloa (3.57%) and Campeche (3.52%). 

Jalisco and Baja California, with better working conditions 

The combination of low levels of unemployment and informality suggests an insertion of more inhabitants into the formal labor market.

This is the case of Jalisco and Baja California that managed to reduce their unemployment rates in the second month of the year. Standing at 2.36 and 2.44% respectively, both significantly lower than the national one.

In addition to having less unemployed, they also have less informal, with figures up to the end of 2018, their levels of informality were 49.35 and 38.64% respectively, positive figures in relation to the one calculated for the country. 

Guerrero and Oaxaca, few unemployed but many informal

In two of the poorest entities in the country there is a very low level of unemployment, however, this situation is due to the fact that about 80% of its employed work in the informal sector. 

During the second month of 2019, Oaxaca reduced the proportion of economically active inhabitants in search of employment from 2.2 to 1.8%, but its level of informality is the highest registered in the country: 81 of every 100 are informal.

Guerrero reduced its proportion of the population in search of employment from 1.7 to 1.4% in January and until the last quarter of 2018 its rate of labor informality remained at 78.72 percent.