Decent wages, a distant goal for the vast majority of Mexicans

The salary structure in Mexico is a reflection of the complexities and inequalities of the labor market: while some sectors and job levels enjoy competitive perceptions and attractive benefits, others face significant challenges in offering fair compensation, specialists recognize.

Salary is a fundamental part of the attractiveness of any job. Fair salaries have become an aspiration for a large part of the employed, especially in the face of the increase in the cost of living due to inflation, which has skyrocketed in the last three years.

Francisco Martínez, general director of The Adecco Group Mexico, maintains that operational and technical positions represent a significant portion of the workforce in Mexico and generally require a minimum of secondary or high school education and little work experience, which is why they usually receive the salaries lower.

For example: a general assistant has an average salary of 8,765 pesos per month, while a maintenance technician can earn around 16,682 pesos. These figures reflect the historically low investment in training and professional development for these levels, which limits opportunities for economic growth for workers.says Martínez.

At the professional and supervisor levels, salaries increase significantly. These positions not only demand advanced technical skills, but also language and leadership skills, factors that justify the salary difference. However, the training gap between these levels and the operational ones continues to be a challenge for salary equity, mentions the Adecco specialist.

Professions that require a university education and several years of experience, such as systems engineers and production managers, have average salaries of 20,476 and 45,000 pesos per month, respectively.

For managerial and executive levels, the highest salaries in the Mexican labor market are presented. A manager of marketing You can earn between 66,455 and 92,899 pesos; Meanwhile, a general director can reach up to 276,454 pesos.

These high salaries are associated with the extensive responsibility and leadership required in these roles, as well as the advanced education and additional certifications they often require. The ability of these professionals to lead teams and make strategic decisions is fundamental to the success of companies, which is reflected in their compensation, says Martínez.

The commerce sector, which represents 19.4 percent of the total number of employed people, according to data from the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) as of the third quarter of 2024, concentrates the largest number of employed people in the country, both formally and informally. Of them, 49 percent have education up to secondary level and only 41 percent are between 16 and 34 years old.

In contrast, the extractive and electricity industry has the smallest number of employees, with just 0.7 percent of the total.

Mini salary up

In terms of remuneration, the average net monthly income of those employed is 8,933 pesos per month. The sectors with the highest income are extractive, with an average monthly income of 10,612 pesos; government, with 9,272 pesos; and the lowest are commerce, with 6,521 pesos; tourism, 5,100 pesos and agriculture, with 3,551 pesos.

According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security as of November, the best salary associated with those insured by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) by economic activity is for employees in the electrical industry and water collection and supply, with 1,168 pesos a day; It is followed by extractive industries, with 890.07 pesos; social and communal services, 684.42 pesos. Meanwhile, workers in commerce receive an average of 524.97 pesos. Agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing and hunting, 403.85 pesos.

According to the LinkedIn platform, the job most in demand by companies in Mexico and worldwide is that of engineering engineer. software; This job has job offers of up to 54 thousand pesos, depending on the professional experience you have.

Adecco’s salary guide places director and deputy director of operations positions among the highest paid in the country. Those who occupy this type of positions have salaries of around 70 thousand pesos in the automotive and construction industries and 67 thousand pesos in the agricultural industry.

With a master’s degree in Operations and Quality Management, applicants for a job of this type will clearly distinguish themselves from others with less academic preparation.

Women, in working poverty

Women more frequently suffer from situations of working poverty because they work for lower pay on average, do not have access to higher-ranking positions and are more informal.

As of the third quarter of 2024, the employed population amounted to 59.53 million people, of which four out of every 10 were women. About 32.52 million work informally and of them 41.4 percent are women, according to data from the ENOE, prepared by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

The average labor income (formal employment) amounts to 13,613 general, but for women it is 12,548 pesos, and for men it is 14,324 pesos. In the informal sector, the general price is 7 thousand pesos; For women it is even lower, 5,905 pesos, and for men it reaches 7,750 pesos.

The labor participation rate is 60 percent nationally, as of the third quarter of 2024. For men it is 76 percent and for women 46 percent.

Many women are employed in informal jobs, in which they find greater flexibility to fulfill their family and parenting roles, but which at the same time place them in positions of greater risk and vulnerability to unjustified dismissal, without access to social security. in case of illness, without access to a childcare system and with lower average incomedescribed Mexico How are we doing?

Good stage

In terms of salaries, Mexico is having a good stage. Between January 2018 and the same month of 2024, the real minimum wage increased by 116 percent in real terms; that is, above inflation. A real increase of 12.9 percent per year in the last six years.

For its part, the average salary with which contributions are made to the IMSS, which is an indicator of the population’s income in the formal sector of the economy, increased by 64.7 percent between January 2018 and 2024.

Considering that inflation in that period was 35.2 percent, the accumulated increase in real wages was 21.8 percent, which means an average annual growth of 3.3 percent.

The ENOE estimates that around 22.3 million employed people receive up to a minimum wage (248.93 pesos per day in 2024, which is equivalent to 7,468 pesos per month and approximately $440 per month). When Inegi began the survey it reached a population of 6 million; Already in December 2018 there were 8.4 million with that level of income.

People who earned more than five minimum wages were 4.11 million in 2005; By 2018 there were 2.4 million and until September 2024 there were 729 thousand.

Francisco Martínez believes that to reduce the salary disparity it is essential that the government, universities and the private sector work together. The government must implement public policies that encourage training and continuous professional development, especially at technical and operational levels. Subsidy programs for technical and vocational education, along with tax incentives for companies that invest in the training of their employees, can create a more equitable environment and encourage greater labor mobility.

Along with these actions, one of the most relevant trends in the Mexican labor market is the gradual increase in the minimum wage, with the goal of reaching 11,324 pesos per month by 2030. This increase seeks to recover the purchasing power of workers without negatively affect companies. In addition, teleworking has established itself as a viable modality, with many companies adopting hybrid schemes that combine in-person and remote work. Compensations for home service expenses, such as electricity and Internet, have become common, reflecting companies’ adaptation to new ways of working.