Mexico Reaches Record High Formal Employment in October

Mexico reached a historic high of 23,888,353 formal jobs registered with the Mexican Social Security Institute during the month of October, as announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum. During her morning press conference, the president detailed that the country generated 161,077 formal positions over the course of the month, representing a monthly increase of 0.7%.

Sheinbaum emphasized that this milestone marks the highest level of formal employment in the nation's history. Between January and October, the administration accumulated 571,277 new jobs, achieving a cumulative growth of 2.5% for the first ten months of the year. On an annual basis, the variation stood at a 1.3% increase compared to October 2025, which translates to 299,180 additional positions.

The IMSS data illustrates a steady recovery trajectory from past economic crises. When former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018, the institute had 20,192,960 registered positions. That figure dropped significantly to 19,495,952 during the economic downturn driven by the COVID-19 pandemic before beginning a multi-year recovery.

When Claudia Sheinbaum assumed the presidency, formal employment registrations stood at 22,480,803. The figures have since maintained an upward trend, aligning with federal priorities focused on restoring purchasing power, expanding social security coverage, and reforming workplace conditions across the country.

Government officials have also highlighted recent strides in labor rights and wages. Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare Marath Bolaños López previously reported significant economic adjustments, noting that the general minimum wage shifted upward from 88 pesos per day in 2018 to 315 pesos in nominal terms by 2026. This change represented a substantial real recovery in purchasing power.

Furthermore, official figures show rising labor participation among women, climbing from 38.8% in 2020 to 41% in 2025. Authorities have also worked to incorporate digital platform workers into the social security system, successfully extending protection against work risks to over 1.7 million individuals.

Looking toward future structural labor adjustments, the federal administration continues to pursue a target of establishing a 40-hour workweek by the year 2030 without reducing salaries or benefits. Officials project that this modification will ultimately benefit more than 13 million workers nationwide.

Political figures have praised the employment milestones as evidence of a functioning economic model. Ana Lilia Rivera, a coordinator in Tlaxcala, stated that the record figures reflect economic policies aimed at generating opportunities, strengthening family welfare, and advancing shared prosperity under the current administration.