Mexico City. After three consecutive months of increases, Mexico's employed population decreased by 1.4 million people in January compared to last December , according to the National Employment and Occupation Survey (ENOE), bringing employment levels back below pre-pandemic levels.
According to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the decline in both formal and informal employment represented a setback in the recovery of jobs lost due to the pandemic , which had already been achieved in the previous three months. However, the surge in infections caused by the virus in the country has once again reduced economic activity, primarily in the services sector.
With the January results, the employment rate was 220,766 positions lower than what was reported in March 2020, a month before the labor market contraction and the drastic reduction in the workforce.
Meanwhile, the unemployment population registered a slight decrease. The unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in January of this year, 0.2 percentage points lower than in December, resulting in a decrease of 1.3 million people in the economically active population (EAP).
