According to the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), the unemployment rate in Mexico during Q4 of 2024 recorded its lowest level since the INEGI began keeping records in 2005, standing at 2.6%.
The most recent update published by INEGI on Feb. 27 revealed that the unemployment rate rose slightly to 2.7% in the first month of 2025. However, the economically active population (EAP) increased by 452,000 people over January 2024.
The survey, known as the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE), offers insight into the behavior of the Mexican labor market, including data on the economically active population (EAP), employment, labor informality, underemployment and unemployment.
The economic participation rate, defined as the percentage of the population employed or actively seeking employment, stood at 59.9% in Q4 of 2024. In other words, 61.1 million people, out of 101.9 million people aged 15 years and older in Mexico, were economically active during the final quarter of last year — an increase of 84,000 people compared to Q4 of 2023.
The industries that reported the greatest growth include social services, restaurants and the hotel industry, and the transportation, communications, mail and storage sectors.
The informal employment rate for Q4 of 2024 stood at 54.5%, a slight decrease from Q4 of 2023 when it was 54.8%.
On Feb. 27, INEGI released the ENOE for January 2025.
According to the survey, the EAP remained at 61.1 million people in the first month of the year, however, a whopping 452,000 more people joined the general workforce than in January of 2024.
The unemployment rate rose slightly from 2.6% to 2.7%, a decrease from the 2.9% reported in January 2024. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate (people with availability for more working hours than that provided by their current occupation or an additional job) stood at 6.9% — 0.2% less than in January 2024.
In January 2025, the population employed in the informal economy was 32.2 million people, or 54.2 % of the employed population, 0.1% higher than the 54.1 % recorded in the first month of 2024.
Do men or women in Mexico have the highest employment rate?
In January 2025, 45% of the economically active population identifying as women were employed, contrasting with 75% for men.
Compared to 2024, women’s participation remained stable while men’s participation decreased by 0.9%.
Mexico News Daily
