Comments on: How Mexico can avoid the middle income trap: A perspective from our CEO

By: Mark Hagerstrom

Mark Hagerstrom — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 04:40:34 +0000

Not very optimistic as regards improving the education and productivity of workers. AMLO has gutting reforms meant to improve the quality of public education, including in the recruitment of qualified teachers and the use of testing and evaluation. Pure politics meant to gain popular support from teachers and their supporters unions. Private schools will continue to churn out educated elites, but broad based improvements have been stymied.

By: steveholtno3@gmail.com

steveholtno3@gmail.com — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:51 +0000

I have been living in SW Mexico for 15 years, we have employed a local work force for many years, we have experienced just about every experience. There is no way this work force will enter the next phase of productivity, it’s not because of their disinterest , it’s because for those 60 million plus dependence on the pay cheque to pay cheque. This existence suites the elite, nothing is ever going to change. All the Rar Rar is crap.

By: paul cassanova

paul cassanova — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:59:22 +0000

Banal : all that is old news, it’s been known for decades that Mexico has been failing to reach its potential, 50% of the workforce is casual (75% casual in the big employment of areas of tourism & construction) no education, no rights with poverty level wages & no training. The opportunity of friend-shoring will pass Mexico by : it takes literally decades to have a skilled, educated workforce and the necessary infrastructure – to say nothing of corruption and crime. Amazon claiming to have trained 400,000 with another 200,000 to come says it all

By: Travis Bembenek

Travis Bembenek — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:35:06 +0000

In reply to Carl Sonntag.

Great comments Carl…I agree with you 100% that education must be further prioritized

By: Carl Sonntag

Carl Sonntag — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 17:42:29 +0000

Hola, Travis. I’ve lived in Mexico for 50 years, which is most of my life. I was involved in education for many years and raised 3 sons who went through the Mexican educational system in private schools. Mexico is a wonderful country with wonderful people who are not being adequately prepared for what is currently happening and what is coming in the future.
First and foremost, there must be security for all residents. There must be rule of law and an end to impunity and corruption. There must be a drastic improvement in the country’s overall infrastructure, water being the most urgent problem that needs to be solved.
However, with all of the above in place and functioning, Mexico will not prosper unless and until its education system is totally revamped and improved, especially public school education beginning in elementary school and going all the way through university level. There is not enough space or time here to expound on this but if Mexico wants to compete, it needs to take a page from S. Korea’s playbook and analyze how S. Korea went from being a poor post-war country to an industrial powerhouse. The basis for their success is their education system, which has consistently turned out extremely well prepared citizens who are able to have good lives and are very productive. Mexico can do the same. It’s a question of the government and the teachers’ unions willingness to do it.

By: Travis Bembenek

Travis Bembenek — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:25:23 +0000

In reply to Bradford Burns.

Dear Brad – great question. I think that Mexico has some time. There are clearly alot of Nearshoring “tailwinds” of investment flowing in that is helping. I think that if this weren’t happening, there would be a risk of stagnation in the short term. Given the above, I think that this evolution, which is already happening, needs to take place on a large scale in the next 3-5 years. If Mexico can take advantage of this in a big way, I think they will have in effect “stepped over” and avoided this trap….

By: Bradford Burns

Bradford Burns — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:08:20 +0000

Dear Travis – If “ Mexico needs to evolve beyond relatively low-skill, basic manufacturing and service jobs to those that are of higher skill levels, and/or to increase productivity of existing jobs,” how much time does she have? ‘Evolve’ implies slow. Does Mexico have a decade or more or is this trap a more immediate risk? Thanks so much for your insightful articles and strategic thinking

By: Paul Roach

Paul Roach — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 01:03:32 +0000

Mexico is in an enviable position, geographically located, a young population, and lots of foreign investment pouring in! What is lacking is a reliable infrastructure to support the growth. From fresh water to waste water, and water resource management, the country is dead last in spending for this area. One only has to look at what happened in Monterey to the water supply to realize that for a country to be successful, basic infrastructure needs must be a priority.

By: gincain23@gmail.com

gincain23@gmail.com — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 23:02:01 +0000

I’m Canadian and American, I have lived in CDMX for over 6 years. For this otherwise wonderful country to be called anything middle it will have to address providing a living wage to its working population, access to free and better education for its youth and repairs to its infrastructure , especially its roads. Until then , I weep for what most Mexicans put up with.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 17:51:28 +0000

Great article, super insightful. I do believe thatMexico’s trading relationships and geographic proximity may allow the country to avoid this dilemma.