Decrease in the number of workers enrolled in the IMMEX program

The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) revealed that since the beginning of 2026, establishments participating in the Manufacturing, Maquiladora, and Export Services (IMMEX) program have been operating under working conditions that have only continued to deteriorate.

Compared to December of last year, IMMEX-program establishments remained flat in the first month of 2026, while compared to January 2025, they declined by 2.4 percent.
The real average wages paid to personnel directly hired by IMMEX program establishments—in monthly Mexican pesos per person—fell by 1.8 percent compared to the previous month and rose by 2.9 percent on an annual net basis.

INEGI specified, using raw data, that the total number of employed workers stood at 3,156,579 people, marking a 2.3 percent decline compared to January 2025 figures. In the non-manufacturing sector, employment rose by 3 percent, and by state, the numbers were concentrated mainly in the states of Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Baja California, and Coahuila.

Similarly, INEGI reports 6,520 establishments registered in the IMMEX program, of which 5,000 were engaged in manufacturing activities and 1,300 were focused on activities related to agriculture, fishing, trade, and services.