Abstract

HUESCA REYNOSO, Luis. El empleo informal en la frontera norte de México y el caso de Sonora: un análisis de expectativas en los ingresos. Región y sociedad [online]. 2010, vol.22, n.49, pp.17-43. ISSN 2448-4849.

This article shows the earnings distribution by subgroups of formal and informal workers in Sonora and the northern Mexican border, where more informal participation of both agricultural and self-employed workers can be observed. The Encuesta Nacional de Ocupación y Empleo 2006 [2006 National Occupation and Employment Survey] is used to estimate a counterfactual scenario, assuming what would happen with the wage distribution if informal workers decide to become formal employees. Results indicate an improvement for wage-earners and those self-employed in the informal sector, with a less favorable impact on the self-employed in Sonora as well as on agricultural workers in both the northern border and Sonora. There is no substantial change in income for self-employed individuals located at the top distribution level in Sonora, and there is an increase in income polarization for wage-earners in the border region.

Keywords : informal sector; distribution; labor market; earnings; matching; propensity score.