Nearly Half of Baja California Workers Earn Poverty Wages, Analysts Say

“In Baja California, a significant portion of employed people over 15 years old lack decent work, as they earn poverty wages, lack social security, or are excluded from employment,” claims a report from the organization Acción Ciudadana Frente a la Pobreza (Citizens’ Action Against Poverty) released this month.

The finding contrasts sharply with statements from the government of this border state, which insist that Baja California workers are well-paid and that unemployment is among the lowest in the country.

Using data from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) through the National Survey of Occupation and Employment for the first quarter of 2025, researchers concluded that “512 thousand people have poverty wages. This represents 42% of employed people who report their income” in Baja California, according to a press release dated July 18, 2025.

These workers “earn less than 9,400 pesos per month (about $523 U.S. dollars)” — an income that “is not enough to buy two basic food baskets.” While this figure is better than the national average of 67%, it remains alarming, researchers add.

Employment in the region has been severely impacted by uncertainty caused by tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, despite the trade agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Although some sectors have begun rehiring, many export companies — primarily manufacturers — remain cautious about tariff changes that the U.S. president “imposes and removes” at will.

The analysis also documents a serious social coverage problem: “749 thousand people work without social insurance, representing 43% of all employed people” in the state.

This lack of social protection is identified as one of the main determinants of poverty in Mexico.

Beyond traditional unemployment, the research reveals broader labor exclusion. “More than 570 thousand people are excluded from work in Baja California,” of which 193 thousand constitute complete unemployment, including both unemployed people and those who “believe they cannot find work.”

Particularly concerning is that “378 thousand people, more than 90% women, are excluded because they perform unpaid care work at home.”

As Rogelio Gómez Hermosillo, executive president of Acción Ciudadana Frente a la Pobreza, explains: “Work in Mexico becomes a factory of poverty for millions of people, and no social program can substitute for work as the way out of poverty.”

The study concludes that guaranteeing the right to decent work “requires effective and inclusive actions that promote investment, generate quality jobs with sufficient remuneration, multiply care services to enable women’s labor participation, and develop adequate employability programs for young people.”

The data is available through the Decent Work Observatory, “an information tool created by Acción Ciudadana Frente a la Pobreza” that allows users to consult nine indicators on violations of the right to decent work, using official INEGI information.

Acción Ciudadana Frente a la Pobreza defines itself on its website (frentealapobreza.mx) as “an articulation initiative created by more than 60 Mexican civil society organizations to have a positive impact against inequality and poverty.”

This report was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and edited by the Tijuanapress.com team.