- Download our Moving to Mexico Guide (PDF)
Foreigners retire to Mexico’s warm coastlines, but those working in Mexico are mostly a younger crowd who settle in the big cities.
Young, ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs head to Mexico City for the lucrative industries it has built up. Mexican industry is closely tied to the economies of the US and Canada. Under the USMCA trade pact between the three countries, large international firms routinely open branch operations in Mexico.
You’ll be joining a colourful, fast-paced business world where people put real stock in personal relationships.
Job market in Mexico
Many US companies have moved or expanded into Mexico to take advantage of lower manufacturing and labour costs. The trend has a name: nearshoring. These operations often recruit managers and senior professionals from abroad, especially well-paid plant managers and IT managers. Bilingual, bicultural leaders who can run a cross-border plant are genuinely hard to find and highly valued. The opportunity is real, although companies in some regions still struggle with labour shortages and patchy infrastructure.
You’ll find openings across finance, technology, healthcare, telecommunications, tourism, and hospitality. English teachers also make up a large share of the expat workforce. Most private schools and learning centres ask for at least a 120-hour TEFL certificate.
Many foreigners are interested in volunteering or finding an internship in Mexico. Volunteering in social, community, or environmental projects is a common way of experiencing life in this North American country. Unpaid volunteering doesn’t trigger work permit requirements for short stays, which keeps the paperwork light within the 180-day visitor allowance. These roles rarely pay, though; you’d take one for the experience rather than as a livelihood.
Alternatively, entrepreneurs may set up their own business or find freelance opportunities. There are prospects in IT and consulting services that can be taken advantage of. Being self-employed and running a business can be risky, and we recommend that entrepreneurs conduct their own research and seek guidance from a lawyer or professional with specific expertise in their field.
A growing share of foreign workers here don’t work for a Mexican employer at all. Remote workers and freelancers who earn from companies abroad have turned Mexico City, along with coastal spots like Playa del Carmen and Oaxaca, into some of the busiest digital nomad hubs in the Americas. Because the income comes from outside the country, you generally won’t need a local work permit; most people use a tourist entry for short stays or a temporary resident visa for longer ones.
International Schools in Mexico
Finding a job in Mexico
Finding work in Mexico’s formal sector can be challenging. Expats looking for employment in Mexico often accept lower salaries than in other countries, although this may be offset by the lower cost of living.
It’s helpful to secure employment before the move, as your employer can arrange visas and work permits. Employers must show that the role couldn’t readily be filled by a Mexican worker. The process may seem complicated, but the hiring company handles much of the paperwork.
Plenty of expats who’ve made the move are blunt about it: you can’t just show up and walk into a job. Local bureaucracy is another common gripe; residency paperwork is notoriously slow, and even opening a bank account or getting utilities connected can take a whole morning.
When you’re job hunting in Mexico, employers care most about two things: recognised qualifications and decent Spanish. Contact the relevant embassy or consulate to confirm that your credentials will be officially recognised.
Mexico City has the deepest job market by far, particularly for corporate and professional roles. Guadalajara is the country’s tech centre, and Monterrey its industrial and business heavyweight. Beyond those three, much of the remaining hiring is in manufacturing and nearshoring hubs like Juárez, León, Querétaro, and Tijuana. Online job boards are the obvious first stop. Recruitment agencies and relocation companies may be able to provide additional support.
Visas for Mexico
Work Permits in Mexico
Relocation Companies in Mexico
Useful links
Work culture in Mexico
There’s real energy in Mexico’s business environment, but the work culture in Mexico has nuances you’ll want to learn early.
Business in Mexico is built around personal relationships, and people rely on their networks to get things done. They tend to prefer meeting face-to-face to settling matters by email, and they like to build a little trust before signing anything. You’ll lean on Spanish here too: most executives in the big cities speak English, but it gets patchy once you leave the main hubs or drop below senior level, so it’s worth having some of your own wherever you land.
Business hours are long: 8am or 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The famous siesta is mostly a myth in corporate Mexico these days. What you’ll find instead is the comida, a long midday meal that often kicks off around 2pm; when it doubles as a business lunch, it can stretch well past the hour.