Abstract

HJORTH BOISEN, Susann Vallentin. The Assembly Plant Industry and Internal Migration in Mexico. Gaceta Laboral, Apr. 2009, vol.15, no.1, p.5-28. ISSN 1315-8597.

The objective of this article is to analyze the relationship between the development of the assembly plant export industry [Industria Maquiladora de Exportación (IME)], the generation of migratory flow from the southern Veracruz toward the City of Juarez, beginning in 1995, and some of the characteristics and specific dynamics of this labor migration and its relationship to local labor markets. The methodology was extended fieldwork during two periods: the year 2000 and between 2002 and 2006. The techniques used were primarily semi-structured, in-depth interviews and participant observation. Results point toward a close link between the development of the assembly plant industry and the evolution of migratory flow, in a significant interaction with social networks and family migratory strategies. Conclusions are that a close connection exists between the process of productive relocation and displacement of the labor force toward the assembly plant area in northern Mexico, generating important bonds between local labor markets in the assembly plant zone on the northern Mexican frontier and local labor markets in the south of Veracruz.

Keywords: Assembly plant industry; internal migration; migratory labor force; Veracruz; Mexico; globalization; labor market.