Ramírez, Tomás and Joann Vanek. 2023. The Impact of COVID-19 on Employment in Mexico, 2020-2023. WIEGO Statistical Brief No. 37.
This brief examines data on employment in Mexico and analyzes the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the associated restrictions and economic downturn. Between the first quarters of 2020 and 2021, 2.1 million jobs were lost in Mexico, of which the vast majority were informal: 76 per cent nationally, 61 per cent in urban areas, and 62 per cent in Mexico City. Women lost more employment than men, especially in informal employment. However, by 2022, employment had recovered to higher levels than in the first quarter of 2020 for both women and men. Women led the recovery with much greater gains than men in informal employment through 2023. The brief also provides key data on six groups of workers who are mainly informal – domestic workers, home-based workers, market traders, street vendors, informal construction workers and informal transport workers.