El sector manufacturero, políticas comercial y cambiaria y la cuestión ocupacional, 1980-1992

After describing the changes in employment that took place at sectoral level in Mexico after the liberalization of the economy, the article analyzes factors that lie behind the “disappointing” performance –in occupational terms– of the manufacturing sector. Among such factors is found a drastic fall in the product elasticity of employment, that being the result of a process of modernization experienced by the sector when the liberalization took place, seems difficult to continue at the same pace and, on the other hand, resulted in an increase in its competitiveness. Other main factor appears to be the slow growth of the manufacturing production that, since 1986, seems to be related with an exchange policy that –obsessed with controlling inflation– prevented the well functioning of the export-led model and, in particular, prevented a successful performance of the manufacturing sector in production terms. As a consequence, the economy as a whole was unable to overcome the external constraint to growth and hence, the so called occupational problem became more acute.