La Jornada: Construction picks up due to infrastructure works

The production value of construction companies in Mexico reached 55,295.6 million pesos in June, a growth of 13.9 percent annually and the sixth consecutive, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

The works and auxiliary works for water, irrigation and sanitation had the greatest dynamism, since they grew 303.3 percent annually; They were followed by railway works, with an increase of 249.9 percent, and infrastructure for electricity generation and distribution, with an annual increase of 81.9 percent. Meanwhile, urbanization and transportation works in cities contracted 31.9 percent.

According to the National Survey of Construction Companies (ENEC) of the Inegi, which contains the main indicators of the situation on the activity of the sector, the production value of the construction sector increased in real terms by 0.1 percent in real monthly terms last June, after the rebound of 2.9 percent in May, and although it was the ninth consecutive monthly advance, the figure for June was the lowest of this streak.

Compared to June 2025, the value of construction companies’ production rose 6.9 percent, with seasonally adjusted data.

In turn, the total employed personnel in construction companies grew 0.1 percent monthly in June. At an annual rate, it was 0.9 percent higher than the same month in 2025.

In June 2026, real average remunerations paid fell 0.5 percent compared to last May. At an annual rate, they grew 2.2 percent.

Informal, 80% of the jobs created in the second quarter

Clara Zepeda

In Mexico, 599,334 jobs were created in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year; However, four out of every five of these positions were generated in the informal sector, revealed data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

In the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) of the population aged 15 years and over, Inegi specified that the total number of employed people in the country (both formally and informally) was 60.04 million, 599,334 more than in the second quarter of 2025; Of them, 494,607 obtained an informal occupation.

Thus, the labor informality rate stood at 55.1 percent, slightly higher than that of the second quarter of 2025 (54.8 percent).

Meanwhile, only 104,727 people obtained formal employment in the April-June 2026 period.

If the employed population is compared with that of the first quarter, an increase of 487,434 jobs is observed, but nine out of 10 (457,803) were informal. Meanwhile, around 29,631 people obtained a formal position.

In the April-June period, the sectors of economic activity with the largest increases in employed population compared to the same period last year were miscellaneous services, with 298,600; construction, 221 thousand 694; restaurants and accommodation services, 211,263, and manufacturing industry, with 135,180, which coincided with the Soccer World Cup, summer vacations and growth in construction.

According to Inegi, the number of employees increased by 200,626 in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2025, while employers increased by 72,692 and self-employed workers by 370,663.

The underemployed population in Mexico (those who have a job, but need and can work more hours than their current job offers) amounted to 4.1 million people, equivalent to 6.9 percent of the employed population, a percentage lower than that of the second quarter of 2025 (7.2 percent).

In the second quarter of 2026, the rate of critical employment conditions (that is, the percentage of the employed population suffering from low income or insufficient or excessive hours with low pay) was 38 percent in April-June. In the same quarter of 2025 it was 36.4 percent.

The Inegi estimates that in the last 12 months around 4.59 million people were employed with a payment of up to one minimum wage; 1.5 million received more than one and up to two minimum wages. Jobs paying more than five minimum wages were reduced by 108,461, while 5.33 million did not specify their income.

In April-June 2026, the unemployed population totaled 1.6 million people, 2.7 percent of the economically active population, the same percentage as in the second quarter of 2025.

The non-economically active population was 42.6 million people, 1.07 million more compared to the second quarter of 2025. Of that total, 4.9 million declared themselves available to work, a decrease of 228,368 people.