Increased Workers’ Access to Healthcare in Mexico
Access to healthcare for workers in Mexico may not be among the highest, but it has shown an increase in recent years.
As of the September 2023 update, it was observed that 39.8% of workers in Mexico have access to healthcare institutions.
This figure indicates an increase in workers’ access to healthcare in Mexico, as it is higher than the percentage recorded in the same month of the previous year (38.2 percent).
The percentage shows a growth of nearly two percentage points in year-on-year comparison.
In absolute terms, a total of 23.5 million workers had healthcare coverage, according to data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE) by INEGI in its monthly edition.
Workers’ Access to Healthcare in Mexico: Other Challenges
In the breakdown of workers’ access to healthcare in Mexico by gender, there are no significant disparities in the exercise of this labor right: 40.5% of women and 39.2% of men have access to healthcare institutions.
Another indicator that showed improvement was access to labor benefits, aside from healthcare. In September, it was recorded that 66.0% of workers had other labor benefits, compared to 64.0% in the same month of the previous year, representing a two-percentage point increase.
Despite the progress made compared to the previous September, still, 6 out of every 10 workers do not have access to healthcare facilities, and 4 out of every 10 do not receive other labor benefits (such as bonuses or vacation days).
Much of this issue can be attributed to the fact that nearly half of those with employment are in informal work arrangements.
In September, the informality rate in Mexico stood at 54.3%: a little over half of workers are in some form of irregular employment.
This level reflects a modest improvement compared to the same month in the previous year when the rate was 55.6 percent.
The challenges in the Mexican labor market are still significant, but in recent years, there have been notable advancements in the average earnings of Mexican workers and the creation of formal employment.
