Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Upper-middle income
Mexico: the labour market
Labour force is 61.7m (2025), 11th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 61.6% (2025), 93rd of 187 in the world and 20th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 47.5% (2025), 129th of 187 in the world and 22nd of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Mexico
Participation rate
MexicoLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Mexico in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 61.7m2025 | 11/187 | 2/31 | 38.6m | 48.2m | 53.0m | +17%since 2015 | 325m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 61.6%2025 | 93/187 | 20/31 | 59.6% | 60.4% | 56.4% | +1.1 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 47.5%2025 | 129/187 | 22/31 | 38.9% | 42.9% | 41.7% | +3.5 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 60.0%2025 | 75/187 | 14/31 | 58.0% | 57.2% | 53.9% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 2.7%2025 | 161/187 | 29/31 | 2.6% | 5.3% | 4.4% | −1.6 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 2.7%2025 | 158/187 | 30/31 | 3.4% | 5.2% | 4.1% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 5.7%2025 | 157/187 | 28/31 | 5.2% | 9.7% | 8.1% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 16.2%2025 | 97/170 | 21/28 | · | 22.2% | 20.1% | −3.5 ppsince 2015 | 18.1% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 69.2%2025 | 91/187 | 15/31 | 66.3% | 68.2% | 69.6% | −0.4 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 25.3%2025 | 102/187 | 18/31 | 28.7% | 27.1% | 25.6% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 11.4%2025 | 104/187 | 17/31 | 17.5% | 14.5% | 13.1% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 24.5%2025 | 49/187 | 3/31 | 25.3% | 22.8% | 24.4% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 64.1%2025 | 83/187 | 22/31 | 57.1% | 62.7% | 62.5% | +1.7 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+3.5 pp47.5% in 2025
- Employment rate+2.0 pp60.0% in 2025
- Unemployment−1.6 pp2.7% in 2025
- Female unemployment−1.7 pp2.7% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Wage workers−0.4 pp69.2% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Mexico and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Mexico. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Mexico | United States | Guatemala | Belize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 61.7m2025 | 175m2025 | 7.7m2025 | 184,2862025 |
| Participation rate | 61.6%2025 | 61.7%2025 | 59.6%2025 | 59.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 47.5%2025 | 56.3%2025 | 38.3%2025 | 46.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 60.0%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 58.1%2025 | 53.9%2025 |
| Unemployment | 2.7%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 2.6%2025 | 8.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 2.7%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 13.5%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 5.7%2025 | 9.3%2025 | 4.8%2025 | 19.3%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 16.2%2025 | 11.6%2025 | 22.3%2025 | 24.9%2019 |
| Wage workers | 69.2%2025 | 93.9%2025 | 60.9%2025 | 64.8%2025 |