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El efecto faro del salario mínimo en la estructura salarial: evidencias para México

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  • Campos Vázquez, Raymundo Miguel

    (El Colegio de México)

  • Rodas Milián, James Alexis

    (El Colegio de México)

Abstract

This research analyses the minimum wage increases in Mexico in 2012 and 2015; the goal is to identify its effects in the wage structure and in employment. The data comes from administrative records of IMSS from 2000 to 2018, and henceforth the study is restricted to the formal sector of the economy. Those changes represent a natural experiment due to its differentiated effect across municipalities. Additionally, we employ the synthetic control method to balance characteristics between treatment and control municipalities. The results indicate that the minimum wage is relevant to the lower part of the distribution. Firstly, the minimum wage increases are reflected practically one to one in the first five quantiles of the distribution. Secondly, when it compares treated zones against control areas, it is observed that the minimum wage had an effect on the salary structure, on average, up to the quantile 10 of the distribution. Finally, there is no effect of the minimum wage on employment at the time of the interventions of 2012 and 2015. There is a preliminary discussion of the lighthouse effect of the minimum wage increase in 2019.

Suggested Citation

  • Campos Vázquez, Raymundo Miguel & Rodas Milián, James Alexis, 2020. "El efecto faro del salario mínimo en la estructura salarial: evidencias para México," El Trimestre Económico, Fondo de Cultura Económica, vol. 87(345), pages 51-97, enero-mar.
    • Handle: RePEc:elt:journl:v:87:y:2020:i:345:p:51-97
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20430/ete.v87i345.859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hilario Barcelata Chávez, 2023. "Masa salarial y distribución del ingreso subnacional en México," Remef - Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época REMEF (The Mexican Journal of Economics and Finance), Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas, IMEF, vol. 18(1), pages 1-26, Enero - M.
    2. Fernando Moreno-Contreras & Edwin Gameren, 2025. "The impact of the outsourcing ban in Mexico on labor market outcomes. An analysis using worker level data," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 59(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Roberto Gallardo Del Angel, 2023. "Wage Income Distribution in Mexico: A Nonparametric Approach," Economía: teoría y práctica, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México, vol. 58(1), pages 71-92, Enero-Jun.
    4. Luis A. Monroy-Gómez-Franco, 2024. "The Economy in its Labyrinth: A Structuralist View of the Mexican Economy in the 21st Century," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 77(2), pages 181-206.
    5. Puggioni Daniela & Calderón Mariana & Cebreros Alfonso & Fernández León & Inguanzo José A. & Jaume David, 2022. "Inequality, Income Dynamics, and Transitions of Mexican Workers," Working Papers 2022-14, Banco de México.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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