MexicoArticle Free Pass
- Government and society
- Cultural life
- Pre-Columbian Mexico
- Conquest of Mexico
- Expansion of Spanish rule
- Colonial period, 1701–1821
- Precursors of revolution
- The Mexican Revolution and its aftermath, 1910–40
- World War II, 1941–45
- Mexico since 1945
- Presidents of Mexico from 1917
When banking and finance are figured in, the service sector—including commercial activities, tourism and other entertainment, business services, and the various levels of government—accounts for about two-thirds of GDP. Commerce alone accounts for about one-fifth of GDP and government for roughly one-sixth.
Tourism is a major contributor to the economy. Because of its cultural diversity, tropical settings, relatively low prices, and easy accessibility, Mexico exerts a strong attraction on U.S. tourists, who constitute the majority of visitors to the country. Tourists once traveled mainly to Mexico City and the surrounding colonial towns of the Mesa Central, as well as to the monumental ruins of Teotihuacán, just northeast of Mexico City. Although Mexico City is still a major destination for visitors, its reputation has been sullied by social and environmental problems, notably high levels of air pollution and crime. Tourists also still flock to the beaches of the world-famous resorts of Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mazatlán, and Puerto Escondido. But Cancún and Cozumel (along the eastern shore of the Yucatán Peninsula) and Cabo San Lucas (of southern Baja California Sur) have become even more attractive to international travelers since the 1960s as a result of the construction of new hotels, airports, and other facilities. Cancún now attracts more international visitors per year than Mexico City. Among the more-visited Mayan ruins are Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Uxmal, and the area of ruins and coral reefs called the “Riviera Maya,” to the south of Cancún.
Labour and taxation
About two-thirds of the Mexican labour force is employed in the service sector and about one-sixth in manufacturing. The agricultural sector, which employs less than one-fifth of Mexican workers, is made up largely of subsistence farmers and labourers. About two-fifths of Mexican adults participate in the labour market. Women greatly increased their presence in the workforce from the 1970s to the early 21st century, owing in part to the demand for young women on maquiladora assembly lines as well as the need for supplemental income in many families. However, women’s wages generally lag behind those of men. The average workweek in the manufacturing sector is about 45 hours. The right to engage in strikes (labour stoppages) is guaranteed by law, and a large percentage of Mexican workers are unionized. The largest and most powerful union is the Confederation of Mexican Workers, which has historically had ties with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Minimum-wage laws have been in effect since 1934, but they are difficult, if not impossible, to enforce for workers in the informal (shadow) economy, including many street vendors and day labourers. Official minimum wages are determined by the type of work and the cost of living in specific regions. Urban job classifications pay higher minimum wages than rural categories, and the highest minimum wages are paid in Mexico City and the border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali, and Juárez.
The government collects several forms of revenue, including individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, and sales taxes. Value-added taxes, excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, production taxes on mining, and local levies on real estate are also important. Earnings from petroleum exports, via the state-owned company Pemex, have been considerable in times of elevated oil prices.
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