La Jornada: Returned migrants suffer greater job insecurity, says ECLAC

Migrants who return to Mexico face job insecurity and discrimination, particularly women, which makes it difficult to access formal jobs, reveals a study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The report “Trajectories of return migration in Mexico, 2015-2025” shows that employment is a crucial element for the social and economic reintegration of return migrants in Mexico, since having a job allows not only to guarantee one’s own and family well-being, but also to take advantage of the experience and skills acquired abroad.

According to the 2020 Census and the 2023 National Demographic Dynamics Survey (Enadid), returnees show high economic participation, with rates ranging between 69.5 and 85 percent, data higher than those of the non-migrant population. However, the quality of the jobs they access is low, with less social security coverage, medical services, bonuses and paid vacations.

The document states that the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (Enigh) 2024 indicates that return migrants face a bimodal pattern of working hours; that is, lower participation in full-time jobs (35.6 compared to 42.7 for non-migrants) and higher incidence of overemployment, 37.8 compared to 31.3 percent. Women are particularly more vulnerable, with an underemployment rate of 36.9 percent, 12.4 percentage points higher than men.

Precariousness deepens in households headed or made up of returning migrants. According to Enadid 2023, work is the main source of income, but with gender differences: 86.2 percent of men depend on their salary, compared to 64.5 percent of women. They compensate for their lower labor insertion through monetary transfers that represent a main source of income for nearly one in five returned women.

There is a concentration in the first income deciles: 12 percent are in the lowest decile, reflecting persistent economic vulnerability. Various structural factors explain this situation, such as the lack of recognition of work experience acquired abroad, discrimination in the domestic market and concentration in informal sectors.