More maquiladoras close in Juárez, jobs lost
JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Maquiladoras and industries south of the border say they continue to feel the impact of the economic trade war and tariffs, which are affecting their operations and leading to the continuous loss of jobs.
According to Marcelo Vázquez, Chihuahua delegate of the Mexican Association of Importers and Exporters, the maquiladora industry in Ciudad Juárez lost another 565 jobs in August, bringing the total to 20,993 fewer jobs over the last year and a drop of 64,945 in the last 26 months.
"This Wednesday, INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) presented us with another unfortunate statistic for Juárez, as jobs in the maquiladora industry were lost again in August," said Vázquez.
The INEGI report for July indicated 262,008 employees in Juárez's maquiladoras, and by the end of August, numbers dropped to 261,443 jobs.
In August of last year, the maquiladora industry reported 282,436 jobs, or nearly 21,000 jobs lost in one year.
In June 2023, or 26 months ago, the maquila industry reported 326,338 jobs, meaning it has lost almost 65,000 in just over two years.
"The maquila industry remains on hold, waiting for the uncertainty stemming from the trade war, the revision of the free trade agreement, and changes in Mexican laws to dissipate," Vázquez added. "It will be very difficult for us to see growth by the end of this year or early 2026 due to the changes in customs law and what is beginning to unfold around the USMCA."
ANIERM also reported, 585 businesses closed in Juárez in less than two years, as Juárez continues to lose employer registrations; another 5 were closed in September.
"Why are we in this situation? Well, on one hand, the uncertainty of the tariff war and, on the other, rising labor costs are the two major problems that have been causing a crisis for two years now," Vázquez also said.
ANIERM also said that during these months, 253 million pesos have stopped arriving in the city in formal salaries, due to unemployment and the drop in real wages, according to IMSS data; this means that Juárez has had less money circulating for four months now.
Juárez's wage deficit reached its highest point in May of this year, at 10.808 billion Mexican pesos.
From that date on, the wage deficit began to decline, so much so that by September it was only 10.71 billion pesos, 98 million pesos less than the record figure for May.
"If we add up the losses in June, July, August, and September, we find that nearly 253 million pesos were lost to the city," Vázquez added. "These 250 million pesos are obviously being felt by almost all small and medium-sized businesses, with sales that are much lower than normal."
