Over 3,000 Jobs Recovered in Nogales

NOGALES, SONORA, MX – In the first six months of 2020, the Nogales, Sonora maquila industry lost 3,000 jobs due to the impact of Covid-19, but in August, those jobs have been recovered and a thousand more added.

Genaro Vecera, executive director of Index Nogales, recalls that at the start of 2020, the local maquiladora industry employed about 44,500 workers.

In the first six months of the year, companies were partially closed, with an estimated loss of almost 3,000 jobs. Today, all those jobs have been recovered, and the workforce grew to 45,121 which is 621 more workers than at the beginning of 2020.

And there are currently about 1,2000 open job offerings.

The executive director of Index Nogales highlighted the coordination and leadership established by the directors of the companies with the Mexican health authorities in response to the provisions in the face of the pandemic.

He acknowledged that several workers have been infected by Covid-19 in the maquilas, but they are being treated in the Covid clinics and hospitals.

The director of Index Nogales reiterates that the maquila industry has applied 7,000 Covid-19 tests to their workers and most have tested negative for Covid-19.

Still, to date 3,090 employees considered as high-risk have not returned to their jobs, complying with the recommendations of the Federal and State Health authorities.