Trade and Services: The New Haven for Formal Employment in Aguascalientes

From January to November 2025, Aguascalientes’ labor market has undergone a silent yet profound transformation. While the overall number of formal jobs broke records in October, reaching a peak of 369,468, an in-depth look at the statistics from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) reveals that the state’s traditional engine—the manufacturing industry—has lost power and momentum, ceding its role in job creation to the tertiary sector. Thus, the year concludes with a clear lesson: trade and services in Aguascalientes have acted as a containment dam against the cooling dynamism of factories and the crisis in public and private construction.

The undisputed leading sector of the year in Aguascalientes is trade. This sector not only resisted but experienced aggressive expansion. It began January with 60,748 positions, and by November, it already employed 64,623 people. The net balance is compelling: 3,875 new formal jobs created in eleven months. The most significant quantitative leap occurred between April and May, solidifying the sector as the entity’s premier employment haven.

Closely following is the Social and Community Services sector, which injected 2,270 positions into the system, increasing from 55,524 to 57,794. Along with Transportation and Communications, which added a sustained 638 positions, these three tertiary sectors were responsible for keeping state figures in positive territory.

Metal Fatigue: Manufacturing Stagnation

The most unsettling news for Aguascalientes’ economy comes from its crown jewel.

, which employs over 134,000 people—one-third of the formal workforce—closed November with negative numbers compared to the start of the year. Although the sector reached a promising peak in March with 136,555 jobs, the second half of the year saw a slow decline. November closed with 134,093 positions, representing a net loss of 629 jobs compared to January, but a destruction of 2,462 positions when compared to its best moment in the spring. The industrial giant remains massive, but in 2025, it ceased to grow.

Construction: The Major Loser

The most impacted sector was the construction industry. It started the year strongly, recording 20,203 jobs in January, but the momentum quickly faded. Despite a “second wind” in October—driven by budget closeouts—the decline was inevitable. As of November, when it reached a total of 19,249 formal jobs, the sector registered a net loss of 954 jobs, a contraction of 4.7% of its initial workforce, highlighting the fragility of a sector highly sensitive to interest rates.

Between Stability and Niche

The rest of the economy showed marginal behavior. Agriculture added 196 jobs, demonstrating seasonal stability, while Business Services suffered a slight setback (-317). Mining, a small sector in the state, also contracted (-40). In summary, the X-ray of 2025 shows an Aguascalientes that is “tertiarizing” at an accelerated pace. While industrial plants adjust their workforces, it is businesses, schools, and hospitals that are absorbing labor demand, reconfiguring the state’s economic profile.