Formal Employment in Mexico Dropped 23.6% in February 2025

Formal employment growth in Mexico remained slow in February 2025, with 119,385 workers joining the social security system. This figure represents a 23.6% decrease compared to the same month in 2024, according to data from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).

Zoé Robledo, Director, IMSS, reports that registered workers reached 22.4 million, the highest figure recorded by the institute. Over 192,552 formal jobs were created in the first two months of 2025, a growth rate of 0.9%. Of the total registered positions, 86.8% are permanent jobs while 13.2% are eventual jobs. However, this follows the loss of 405,259 jobs in December 2024.

“In the past, this ratio was almost 50-50. There were many more temporary jobs than permanent ones; today, the positions are permanent. Also, of the jobs created so far in 2025, 54.2% are permanent,” Robledo added.

Robledo highlighted that the average daily wage for workers registered with IMSS stands at MX$619.6 (US$29.66), the highest recorded by the institute, attributing the increase to the government’s minimum wage policy.

Regarding gender distribution, Robledo noted that 9 million registered workers are women, representing 40% of formal employment. In the past 12 months, 187,000 jobs linked to women have been created.

According to Robledo, 303,371 independent workers have joined the Social Security system through a program to expand coverage to historically excluded groups. These workers and their beneficiaries receive full access to the five types of social insurance provided by IMSS.

Labor informality remains high in the country, with 54.3% of the employed population, equivalent to 32.2 million people, working outside the formal sector, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

Additionally, Robledo reports that 5.3 million people receive their Personalized Contribution Report automatically, allowing them to track their registered employers, the number of days worked, and their recorded salary.