Mexico-Guatemala cross-border labor market: A construction from the experience of the workers

Abstract

The objective of this work is to build the structure and functioning of the lo-cal cross-border labor market between the Soconusco region (Chiapas) and the southwest of Guatemala, from a construction “from below”, based on the experience lived by interviewed Guatemalan workers. The cross-border, economic and population perspective was the guide to link the supply and demand of workers, and the places of origin and work destination, to avoid methodological nationalism. The construction of knowledge from daily life allowed to make visible the diversity of the participating actors, as well as the connection between the needs of workers and employers, cross-border labor networks (for-mal and informal) and the possibilities of crossing, staying and paid work in the neighboring country. The cross-border labor market detailed allows considering new scenarios considering the recent arrival of foreign immigrants to the region.