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The impact of the minimum wage on income and employment in Mexico

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  • Campos, Raymundo M.
  • Esquivel, Gerardo
  • Santillán, Alma S.

Abstract

This article analyses the effects of a rise in the minimum wage on wages and employment in Mexico. The source of variation is the equalization in late 2012 of the minimum wage in two areas of the country. Using the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE), econometric analyses are performed of cross-section and individual panel data. The results of the first indicate that, on average, the hourly wage in zone B rose by between 1.6% and 2.6% for workers overall and between 1.8% and 3.3% for wage workers. The panel analysis yields similar results. Although the cross-section analysis does not show an impact in terms of employment, the panel data indicate that the probability of being an informal (formal) worker falls (rises) among those affected by the wage rise policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Campos, Raymundo M. & Esquivel, Gerardo & Santillán, Alma S., 2017. "The impact of the minimum wage on income and employment in Mexico," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), August.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecr:col070:42667
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Saraçoğlu, Dürdane Şirin, 2020. "Do labour market policies reduce the informal economy more effectively than enforcement and deterrence?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 679-698.
    2. 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.
    3. Campos-Vazquez Raymundo M. & Delgado Victor & Rodas Alexis, 2020. "The effects of a place-based tax cut and minimum wage increase on labor market outcomes," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-24, March.
    4. Raymundo M. Campos-Vazquez & Gerardo Esquivel, 2023. "The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Poverty: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Mexico," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(3), pages 360-380, March.

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