IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/smx/journl/13141170.html

Determinants of the mobility of low-wage workers in Mexico

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Francisco Suarez Martinez

    (University of Monterrey)

  • Sebastian Aguirre Ruiz

    (University of Monterrey)

  • Eugenio Mauricio Chavez Ruiz

    (University of Monterrey)

  • Alejandro Severo Lugo Ortiz

    (University of Monterrey)

  • Victoria Elena Ramirez Montemayor

    (University of Monterrey)

Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors that influence whether workers exit or remain in low-wage employment in Mexico. Utilizing data from the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) for the period from 2012 to 2019, we track individuals initially employed in low-wage jobs and monitor their labor market status one year later. A multinomial logit model is employed to calculate average marginal effects on three potential trajectories: unemployment/inactivity, continued low-wage employment, or upward wage mobility. The results indicate that education and formal employment enhance the likelihood of upward mobility, while being female, older, and employed in sectors such as agriculture and services contribute to the persistence of low wages. These findings suggest that wage mobility is influenced not only by individual characteristics but also by structural factors within the labor market, highlighting important implications for public policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Francisco Suarez Martinez & Sebastian Aguirre Ruiz & Eugenio Mauricio Chavez Ruiz & Alejandro Severo Lugo Ortiz & Victoria Elena Ramirez Montemayor, 2026. "Determinants of the mobility of low-wage workers in Mexico," Sobre México. Revista de Economía, Sobre México. Temas en economía, vol. 1(13), pages 141-170.
    • Handle: RePEc:smx:journl:13:141:170
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://sobremexico-revista.ibero.mx/index.php/Revista_Sobre_Mexico/article/view/196
    File Function: First version, 2026
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:smx:journl:13:141:170. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Maria Alejandra Villegas Gutierrez (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://sobremexico-revista.ibero.mx/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.