Mexico unemployment rises to 2.8% in May 2026

Mexico's labor market showed modest changes in May 2026. The national unemployment rate held at 2.8% of the economically active population, translating to 1.7 million people without work, an increase of 22 thousand year‑on‑year. The economically active population (PEA) reached 62.1 million, up by 460 thousand from May 2025, while total employment rose to 60.4 million, a gain of 438 thousand.

Informal employment remained high, with 33.4 million workers in the informal sector, representing 55.2% of all employed persons. Sub‑employment stood at 4.2 million, or 7% of the employed, down slightly from the previous year. Women accounted for 24.9 million of the PEA with a participation rate of 45.8%; men comprised 35.5 million with a 74.2% participation rate.

ManpowerGroup highlighted that the persistence of informality “continues to absorb a large share of job growth,” stressing the need for policies that push new jobs into the formal economy. The data were released by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) amid an overall GDP growth of 0.6% in 2025, influenced by external trade uncertainties.