In-migration and the labor market in Tijuana, Baja California

Abstract

This article is an interpretive essay on the status of migrant workers in the Tijuana labor market. To being with, the author sets up a theoretical framework and specifies the sources of data utilized, among which is a survey done on 672 families in Tijuana in 1982. So as to define the sphere of analysis, the athor discusses demographic behavior and the evolution of the labor market in Tijuana. Within this context, an examination of the work status of migrants is conducted by comparing it to that of the native population, taking into acount the characteristics of their regions of origin and factors related to that work status. It is shown that the migrants come from areas which are relatively more developed; that their work experience is directly related to the nature of the relative degree of development of their regions of origin; that there is no difference between the migrants and the native population with regard to the sectors and positions in which they are inserted; and that the type of migration tends to be similar to migration taking place in industrialized countries, rather than that characterizing developing countries.