The Mexican trade liberalization process and its net effects on employment: 1988-2004

Rosario Cervantes () and Gerardo Fujii ()
Additional contact information
Rosario Cervantes: Universidad de Guadalajara
Gerardo Fujii: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Gerardo Fujii Gambero

EconoQuantum, Revista de Economia y Finanzas, 2012, vol. 9, issue 2, 81-97

Abstract: This paper examines the direct and indirect effects of trade liberalization on employment in Mexico. First, we estimate the net effect that export and import growth has had on employment; and second, inasmuch as Mexico is a country relatively abundant in unskilled labor, we seek to verify whether the most dynamic sectors in terms of employment creation have been those expected by trade reform promoters, i.e., tradable-goods sectors such as manufacturing, where unskilled labor is used more intensively. We find that, between 1988 and 2004, the net balance of job creation by foreign trade was positive and increasing until 2000. Unskilledlabor-intensive manufactures and non-tradable goods and services (in an indirect way) sectors have been the main contributors to employment growth associated with foreign trade. The net effect of foreign trade on employment tends to be negative in skilled labor-intensive manufacturing sectors.

Keywords: Trade Liberalization; Trade and Labor Market Interactions; Employment; Mexico (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F13 F16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://econoquantum.cucea.udg.mx/index.php/EQ/article/view/150 (application/pdf)
http://econoquantum.cucea.udg.mx/index.php/EQ/issue/view/22

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:qua:journl:v:9:y:2012:i:2:p:81-97

Access Statistics for this article

EconoQuantum, Revista de Economia y Finanzas is currently edited by Isai Guizar Mateos

More articles in EconoQuantum, Revista de Economia y Finanzas from Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Economico Administrativas, Departamento de Metodos Cuantitativos y Maestria en Economia. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sandra Ivett Portugal Padilla ().