Maquiladoras in Juárez keep losing jobs due to tariffs’ uncertainty

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The Juárez maquiladora industry lost 7,473 jobs in February, totaling 62,632 jobs lost in the last 20 months.

The President of the Border Business Block Jesús Manuel "Thor" Salayandía, said this loss in jobs continues due to President Trump's tariffs and the uncertainty they are creating. Because tariffs on all auto imports into the U.S. and reciprocal tariffs have not been clearly defined.

Another factor is the rise in minimum wages along the Mexican northern border. Currently, minimum wages are at 419 Mexican pesos (around $21.36), and in other parts of Mexico, minimum wages are at 278 Mexican pesos (around $14.18).

"This 20 percent drop now requires us to develop a strategy to address all the job losses. We're talking about more than 130,000 jobs lost across the entire northern border. It's urgent to do something to remedy this decline, which is why we're here at the Mexican Congress, because we need to make changes," Salayandía said.