Mexican Minimum wage

[am1]

I was reading an article in the Toronto Star about a Mexican border town. It mentioned that the minim wage is $5/day. I really doubt that is true so can someone let me know what the minimum wage is?

 

[DeniseM]

Here you go - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

daily minimum wages set annually by law and determined by zone; 62.33 Mexican pesos in Zona A (Baja California, Federal District, State of Mexico, and large cities), 60.57 pesos in Zone B (Sonora, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Jalisco), and 59.08 pesos in Zone C (all other states)[

1 dollar = 12.6334 pesos

62.33 pesos divided by 12.6334 = $4.93 per day

 

[Ridewithme38]

Don't you feel a little better about the tip you left for the resorts cleaning staff last time you stayed in mexico now? That $10-$20 is a lot more then you thought it was huh?

 

[ronparise]

Ive learned three things here...

Why so many Mexicans are willing to risk their lives coming to this country, and Why Mexican timeshares have such low mf, and
Why Americans in my age group are moving to Mexico after they retire

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Don't you feel a little better about the tip you left for the resorts cleaning staff last time you stayed in mexico now? That $10-$20 is a lot more then you thought it was huh?

If you're talking per $10 to $20/day I think that's pretty extravagant.

We generally tip $MX 25 as a base rate, + $MX 10 for each bedroom after the first . In conversations I find that's pretty generous - it seems the going rate is about 25 pesos total.

*******

Perhaps $US 5/day is the official "minimum" wage. The reality is going to be quite different. First is that under Mexican law there is a huge difference in regulation that happens once business reaches a certain size. Also when there is massive underemployment and unemployment, there are plenty of people who are willing to work for whatever they can earn. And no government official is going to tell them they can't take a job that pays $3/day when the alternative is $0/day.

 

[am1]

Thanks. It must be an absolute minimum wage. I doubt that many people are being paid that low. But I have been wrong before.

 

[easyrider]

We had a discusion about the cost of living verus what you get paid with some resort employees in Mexico. These people are paid very little and make more money from tipps than wages. The resort pays for transportation to and from work, clothing for work, meals at work and helps some with housing on top of the wages.

This is why many kids don't finish school in Mexico. Most will do better learning some english and then work with tourists.



Bill

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

This is why many kids don't finish school in Mexico. Most will do better learning some english and then work with tourists.

Another reason is the cost of supplies. Education is "free" but all that means is that you don't have to pay to have your kid walk through the door. But they don't provide any supplies, including textbooks, paper, pencils, etc.

When we go to Mexico I throw bring along a few school-related things like writing tablets and notebooks. When I meet the housekeeper I make it a point to ask about family. If she has school-age children I leave some of that behind for them. sometimes if we get to Wal-Mart I'll load a gift card with about 100 pesos and leave it with our trip with a note that it's for school supplies. (Of course I can't guarantee that's what it's used for, but I figure that at least the thought will count.)

If we're out and about and we go buy a candy store, I'll also pick up some dulces for the children as well.

All of that, of course, is on top of the normal housekeeping tip.

 

[pittle]

Here is a link to a chart with the minimum wages in Mexico for 2012. http://www.wageindicator.org/main/minimum-wages/mexico
It looks like a housekeeper makes about 75 pesos per day / $6 US dollars.

We shop at Mega and Walmart just like the locals, and things are not cheap! We always leave a minimum of 50 pesos each day for the housekeeper - often we take $100 in $1 bills to get started for tips until we can get to a bank and exchange larger pesos to 50 peso bills. When we put US $ on the bed, we leave 4 or 5. We just budget that as part of our trip. We leave the tip on the bed each day so that they will take it. We tip daily because some days we have a different housekeeper.

 

[oldbuyer]

If you have the ability to leave tips in Pesos that is best as the locals often get ripped off in the exchange rate when they convert their tips, Some resorts were exchanging dollars to pesos at one to 10 when the market today is closer to one to 12.5. That's a 20% reduction in tip income.
Consider the same when buying gifts and souvenirs. Negotiate in pesos and the merchant can work with you better on price as they have no additional cost to convert dollars into pesos.
The other issue is the time it takes for merchants to convert dollars at a bank (if they are fortunate enough to have a bank account). There is a daily limit, a fee and a lot of time documenting ID etc. This was all done to reduce US drug money from being washed by resort towns.
Ever wonder how the resorts get all those $100 USD bills? I wonder.....

 

[sstug]

Sadly the minimum wage is that low. Even worse, almost everyone works a 6 day work week and they are not limited to an 8 hour day. I have a friend who drives a taxi and is paid around 2300 pesos every 2 weeks and often works a 10 hour day. That calculates to just over US$ 15 per day. Better than the legal minimum wage, but as noted by others the cost of items at Walmart is not cheap, so you can imagine how hard it is to live off so little money. And to top it off, tipping is not common when taking a taxi so there are very few tips to supplement the income. The comment about school supplies having to be purchased is absolutely correct. And although full time employees get health coverage, they really get very poor care. Many things are not covered by this insurance so they just do not go to the doctor. If they can't pay, they don't get care. Again, my friend who drives a taxi is classified as a contractor and gets no health coverage. The people we see working every day at the resorts live a very different life than most of us. It makes me count my blessings...and tip generously.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

And to top it off, tipping is not common when taking a taxi so there are very few tips to supplement the income. .

It's my understanding that when taking a taxi the tip is included in the fare. Last time I took a tax in Puerto Vallarta to the airport, I offered the taxi driver a tip and he refused the tip, telling me that his tip was included in the fare.

****

BTW - certainly the minimum wage is low, but you can't compare it directly in $US because the cost of living is also less in Mexico. And you can't use Wal-Mart prices as a benchmark because Wal-Mart serves the burgeoning Mexican middle class, where people do have more income. There are millions of people who eke out an existence is Mexico without going to Wal-Mart, because Wal-Mart is too expensive.

 

[nazclk]

Tips and Wages

I always tip well when I am in Mexico as they work so hard for so little money. Especially the maids in the hotels.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Another reason is the cost of supplies. Education is "free" but all that means is that you don't have to pay to have your kid walk through the door. But they don't provide any supplies, including textbooks, paper, pencils, etc.

When we go to Mexico I throw bring along a few school-related things like writing tablets and notebooks. When I meet the housekeeper I make it a point to ask about family. If she has school-age children I leave some of that behind for them. sometimes if we get to Wal-Mart I'll load a gift card with about 100 pesos and leave it with our trip with a note that it's for school supplies. (Of course I can't guarantee that's what it's used for, but I figure that at least the thought will count.)

If we're out and about and we go buy a candy store, I'll also pick up some dulces for the children as well.

All of that, of course, is on top of the normal housekeeping tip.

That is so kind! What a wonderful idea. You have to put a lot of thought into gifts like that, and it's very personal to the maid, which I especially like. Only a very thoughtful person would be so specific for the maid taking care of his unit.