Extreme temperatures reduce working hours in the informal sector

The extreme temperatures that are lived in Mexican territory reduce working hours, particularly those of the population that works in the informal sector, reveal data from the Bank of Mexico (BDEM).

The report on the regional economies of October-December 2024 indicates that intense heat and cold exposure is a factor to reduce the time worked by workers.

This decrease is more evident in the informal sector, particularly in some economic activities in which it has a high participation, such as construction, manufacturing industry, retail trade and food preparation.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), until January, 32.2 million people were in informality and represent 54.2 percent of the total population employed.

According to the BDEM report, exposure to temperatures less than 10 Celsius reduces the hours worked by people occupied in the informal construction sector and the manufacturing industry.

At the other extreme, with temperatures greater than 35 Celsius, the time worked by workers in the informal retail trade sector and food and drink preparation decreases.

The BDEM pointed out that a greater proportion of workers in the informal sector, compared to the formal, was used in construction, retail trade and food and drink preparation. In the manufacturing industry, a significant part of informal workers was used in activities related to the manufacture of metals, such as blacksmiths, or furniture, activities that by their nature could involve being outdoors.

He Effect could be determined by a greater propensity that these activities are carried out under the direct influence of the climate, due to the lack of access to medical services such as work provision and other factors that increase the vulnerability of informal workers for the purposes of extreme temperatures.

The Central Bank commented that this reduction in working time has already been documented in other reports, since in 2023 the heat reduced the demand for bakery, caused temporary suspensions in manufactures, reduced assistance to restaurants and slowed construction works.

Last year, extreme heat forced to suspend open -pit mining activities and reduced the rhythm of execution of infrastructure projects.

The report also indicates that the regions most affected by temperatures less than 10 Celsius is the center, while the north suffers more frequently the high temperatures.