Labor Informality in Private Police Forces in Mexico

Abstract

Objective: To examine labor informality in private police forces in Mexico based on the results of the National Survey of Occupation and Employment, published quarterly by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Methodology: To understand its transformation, data from 2012 to 2024 are analyzed, and to deepen the study of the phenomenon, various socioeconomic variables are examined using the results from the third quarter of 2024. Results: The findings show an increase in the number of people working in this sector as a consequence of the growing demand for security in the country, but they also reveal high levels of labor informality, which are particularly acute among guards and doormen in private households, and among individuals with
vulnerabilities associated with gender, age, schooling, among others. This informality, in addition to directly affecting individuals’ economic  conditions, triggers other social problems that intensify among populations with greater vulnerabilities and deepen existing inequalities. Conclusions: The conclusions drawn for Mexico are contrasted with a review of the literature on this phenomenon in other Latin American countries, contributing to the discussion on labor informality in this sector, which constitutes a regional social problem.