Continuities and Discontinuities in Occupational Mobility in Mexico

Abstract

This article analyzes the trends in occupational mobility on the basis of data from the Retrospective Demographic Survey (Eder). To this end, it used the findings of a previous study conducted in Monterrey that identified two trends: the continuity of rising structural mobility and the growing inequality of occupational achievements associated with individuals’ social origins. The results show that in general terms, these trends can also be observed in the country’s cities as a whole, although with certain nuances not found in Monterrey. They also show that the social and economic transformations experienced in the country in recent decades have produced negative effects on social mobility, since despite the continuity in structural mobility, the inequality of job opportunities has been exacerbated.