Guanajuato Employment Snapshot: Manufacturing Sector Growth Amidst Persistent Informality

closed the fourth quarter of 2025 with 2.9 million people in the economically active population (EAP) and a participation rate of 59.4%, according to the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE) by INEGI. The balance shows an annual increase of 47 thousand people in the EAP, as well as adjustments in unemployment, informality, and the sectoral composition of employment.

Employment Grows, but Unemployment Rises in Guanajuato

During the October-December 2025 period, the employed population in Guanajuato reached 2.86 million people, representing an increase of 26 thousand compared to the same quarter of 2024. Nevertheless, the unemployed population totaled 88 thousand people, resulting in an unemployment rate of 3.0%, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. By gender, the unemployment rate was 2.6% for women and 3.2% for men, both showing annual increases of 0.6 percentage points. This trend suggests an environment of increased pressure in the labor market, despite the growth in the absolute number of employed individuals.

Manufacturing and Professional Services Drive Employment

The sectoral analysis reveals a recomposition of employment within the state. The secondary sector accounted for 33.6% of the employed population, with 962 thousand people, implying an annual increase of 29 thousand jobs. Within this sector, the manufacturing industry reached 729,993 people, showing growth of 29 thousand employed individuals. In the tertiary sector, which comprised 59.0% of total employment, professional, financial, and corporate services stood out, with 230 thousand people employed and an annual increase of 33 thousand. In contrast, the primary sector registered an annual decrease of 36 thousand people, dropping to 205 thousand employed, equivalent to 7.2% of the total. Additionally, the commerce sector reported a reduction of 17 thousand employed individuals year-over-year.

Underemployment Drops to 9.4% in Guanajuato

A relevant data point for business analysis is the reduction in underemployment. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Guanajuato’s underemployed population was 268 thousand people, equivalent to 9.4% of the employed population, a figure lower than the 12.1% recorded a year prior. Furthermore, in terms of working hours, 46.8% of employed individuals worked between 35 and 48 hours per week, representing a 5 percentage point increase from 2024. On average, the employed population worked 42.5 hours per week. This trend reflects greater stability in employment intensity, with a lower proportion of workers in involuntary part-time positions.

Labor Informality Remains Above 50%

Informality in Guanajuato continues to be one of the main structural challenges. In the fourth quarter of 2025, 1.5 million people were in informal employment conditions, representing a labor informality rate (TIL1) of 53.8%. Although this figure implied an annual reduction of 18 thousand people in this condition, the level remains elevated. Of this total, 785 thousand people worked in the informal sector, equivalent to 27.4% of the employed population. The labor informality rate 2 (TIL2) stood at 51.8%, lower than the 53.1% observed a year prior, indicating a slight improvement in employment quality, albeit without deep structural changes.

Income and Business Structure: Microbusinesses Predominate in Guanajuato

In the non-agricultural sector, which comprised 2.4 million employed individuals, 48.9% worked in microbusinesses, while 19.2% worked in small establishments, 11.2% in medium-sized, and 12.8% in large companies. By income level, 45.9% of the employed population earned up to one minimum wage, while 29.0% earned between one and two minimum wages. This wage pattern highlights that a significant proportion of employment remains within low to lower-middle income brackets.

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