Lost in Transition: the Challenge for Mexican Labor in the Post-NAFTA Era.

Although the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has increased trade and investment between Mexico and the U.S., it has not stemmed patterns of "illegal" migration. In fact, undocumented migration from Mexico to the U.S. has increased since NAFTA’s inception ten years ago. In the years following NAFTA?s implementation one could argue that trade liberalization would stimulate job growth in Mexico?s export sector, that wage levels would converge with those in the U.S. and as a result fewer Mexicans would seek employment in the U.S. Why then, did Mexican migration increase so rapidly during the decade of NAFTA?s realization? Has economic integration between the U.S. and Mexico done anything to stem the flow of unauthorized Mexican workers into the U.S.? This paper will address these questions by examining employment, income and productivity trends in Mexico?s export sector, and more specifically the maquiladora industry, as a way of determining the impact of NAFTA on employment opportunities for Mexican labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]