Ciudad Juárez Sees Higher Wages, Pivots to More Computer and Medical Manufacturing, UTEP Research Finds
White paper examines employment shifts on the border amid industrial transformation
EL PASO, Texas (July 9, 2025) – The Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at The University of Texas at El Paso has released a new white paper that provides an in-depth look at the evolving labor landscape in one of North America’s most critical manufacturing hubs.
Titled “Employment Shifts in Ciudad Juárez: Beyond the Numbers,” the paper shows how the city’s manufacturing dominance and economic profile are being redefined through shifts in the automotive sector, the rise of automation and the growing demand for skilled labor.
Among the many findings, the team found that between 2018-2025, wages in Juárez increased substantially by 375%, from $88.36 Mexican pesos to $419.88 pesos. They also found that in 2024, manufacturing represented 63% of the total employment in Ciudad Juárez, exceeding by more than double the national average of 28% in Mexico.
The city added over 38,000 jobs from 2019-2024, but from 2023 to 2024, it registered a net loss of 13,000 jobs, largely due to a drop of 17,500 jobs in manufacturing employment.
“Our report explores how global disruptions, policy changes, and industry-specific developments are influencing formal employment patterns, investment decisions, and the region’s future as a strategic industrial center,” said Executive Director of the Hunt Institute Mayra Maldonado who co-authored the paper. “Rising labor costs, driven by government-mandated wage increases in the Northern Border Free Zone are prompting some labor-intensive industries to scale back or pivot toward automation and higher-value activities.”
For instance, computer and medical equipment manufacturing, sectors with more capital-intensive operations, have expanded sharply. Between 2019 and 2024, computer manufacturing grew by 9,500 jobs, a 238% increase, and medical equipment jobs increased by 12,500 jobs, a 41% increase.
Conversely, traditional sectors such as textiles and automotive electric systems have experienced significant job losses. From 2019 to 2024, the textile industry shed 8,000 jobs, while automotive electric systems lost 5,000 jobs.
“This report offers a data-driven perspective on the formal employment shifts taking place in Ciudad Juárez,” Maldonado explained. “By analyzing employment data in Ciudad Juárez across 276 industries over several years, prior to the doubling of the daily minimum wage in the ZLFN and the COVID-19 pandemic, the study helps stakeholders better understand the factors shaping labor demand and the region’s evolving industrial profile.”
The white paper relied on publicly available data, media coverage, interviews and contextual insights to provide a comprehensive view of labor demand trends.
Maldonado said the paper highlights how Ciudad Juárez is gradually shifting away from its historical reliance on low-cost labor toward a more diversified and technologically advanced industrial base. At the same time, policy changes, particularly those affecting labor costs, have influenced employment patterns and made the city less attractive for certain investors, some of whom are now relocating operations to central Mexico or Central America.
She added that the findings underscore the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for manufacturers, investors and policymakers as Ciudad Juárez adapts to a changing global landscape.
About the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness
Since 2014, the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at UTEP has provided economic analysis of the Paso del Norte Region that includes the binational communities of El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces, N.M.; and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The mission of the Hunt Institute is to produce high-quality market analysis tools that can strengthen regional and binational cross-border economic and social development. The institute is part of the Woody L. Hunt College of Business.
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on July 09, 2025 at 12:00 AM | Originally published July 09, 2025
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
