Mexico City, Mexico, May 1, 2022 — As asylum requests in Mexico continue to increase, access to job opportunities remains a challenge for people trying to resettle in the country. A new study conducted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) found that xenophobia, exploitative work conditions and lack of information are among the main obstacles to achieve economic wellbeing.
According to the IRC’s assessment—conducted in four cities in the southern states of Chiapas, Veracruz and Tabasco—the main obstacles that asylum seekers encounter to access job opportunities and achieve economic wellbeing while waiting for their claims to be solved include:
- Xenophobia. This is a primary challenge mentioned not only by asylum seekers, but even by surveyed people who are representatives of the host communities, the private sector and government officials. Misperceptions of migrant populations, paired with significant poverty and unemployment rates, put asylum seekers at a severe disadvantage when looking for a job and in their everyday interactions.
- Exploitative work conditions. Informal employment constitutes most of the existing alternatives in the assessed cities, with rates starting at 60%. This implies risks for asylum seekers, including wage theft or extended shifts. For example, in Tenosique, asylum seekers estimated needing between US$195 and $290 per month to cover essentials, while wages in sporadic jobs ranged from US$2.40 to $7.30 for up to twelve hours of work. Even finding a job every day for a month they would still barely make enough to meet basic needs.
- Lack of information or awareness. An issue mentioned not only by employment seekers, but even members of the private sector. Companies showed interest and willingness to hire asylum seekers, but they reported facing gaps in the information on the requirements and possibilities to do it. At the same time, asylum seekers mentioned not knowing enough about human and employment rights regardless of their legal status or even how and where they could find information about job postings, training offers and other related support.
Raymundo Tamayo, Country Director for Mexico at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said:
“Mexico has historically been not only a place of origin or transit for people fleeing conflict from Latin America—or even places as far away as Asia, Africa or Europe—but for some has even become a safe destination where generations have thrived. Despite the history of the country, and its current potential, there are still important gaps to offer asylum seekers with the opportunity to recover and rebuild their lives here.
“In contexts of crisis, it is essential to ensure that people meet their immediate needs, but also to provide them with alternatives to build a brighter future. We must empower asylum seekers and refugees to become economically self-sufficient, so they can not only meet the most basic survival needs, but also develop a sustainable income and assets to prosper.
“There are numerous challenges to foster asylum seekers’ economic recovery and development, but just as vast are the opportunities to address them. Long-term support and funding from the international community are still required to build an asylum and protection system in Mexico that guarantees the dignity of asylum seekers, regardless of their nationality or status.”
In recent years, the number of asylum requests in Mexico has increased exponentially. Between January and March 2022 alone, the country received more than 29,000 asylum requests, 61% from people from Honduras, Haiti and Cuba. Of these requests, more than 80% were filed in southern states (near the border with Guatemala) like Chiapas, Tabasco or Veracruz, where asylum seekers must wait until their claims are resolved—a process that can take anywhere from 45 days to a year—despite the lack of job opportunities and overstretched support systems.
To provide asylum seekers with economic recovery and development opportunities, and based on the assessment conducted, the IRC outlined a set of recommendations for the humanitarian, public and private sectors, including:
- Implement peacebuilding and social cohesion activities—both within the host community and with the private sector—to combat misperceptions and foster collaboration with asylum-seeking populations.
- Enhance access to information for employers on safe and responsible practices for all employees, including asylum seekers, to mitigate the risks of informal work.
- Provide living stipends to households of asylum seekers for the full period of waiting for the formalization of their immigration status as well as the duration of existing work training offers, which are unpaid but create opportunities to generate an income in the future.
- Foster entrepreneurship development, including the provision of training and orientation on goods and services with market opportunity, as well as of business start-up grants to people developing viable business plans.
About the IRC’s work in Mexico
The IRC is responding along the main migration corridors in Mexico: from the southern to the northern borders and along the routes through the country. The IRC’s programs offer a timely and comprehensive response to the most urgent needs of people on the move, covering: economic recovery and development, including multipurpose cash transfers to meet basic needs; mental health and psychosocial support; prevention and response to gender-based violence; access to critical information through InfoDigna, a multi-channel platform; as well as identifying needs and referring cases to local service providers. Additionally, the IRC is supporting local integration efforts by providing cultural orientation to individuals who have chosen to stay in Mexico.
Currently, the IRC’s work in economic recovery and development is focused on providing asylum seekers with the means to cover basic needs in a sustainable way, so that they can resist possible economic shocks, and become self-sufficient in the long term. Activities span from emergency multipurpose cash relief to a robust livelihoods program that includes the promotion of employment and self-employment.