Mexico added 61,000 formal jobs in June, the strongest figure for that month since 2021, yet the headline number conceals a structural shift. Excluding workers newly registered on digital platforms such as Uber and DiDi—who accounted for 40,000 of the new positions—net job creation was just 21,000, according to an analysis by ManpowerGroup. The data, drawn from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), also show that employer registrations have now declined for 24 consecutive months, the worst streak in more than two decades. Industrial activity contracted 0.8 per cent month-on-month in May, with manufacturing down 1.19 per cent in the first five months of the year, dragged lower by a 3.78 per cent drop in the automotive sector. Baja California bucked the trend, adding 76,048 formal posts in the first half of 2026, driven by services, construction and agriculture.

Colombia’s labour market offered a different signal. The national statistics agency DANE reported that the informal employment rate fell to 54.7 per cent in the March–May rolling quarter, a decline of 1.2 percentage points year-on-year and the lowest level since the current measurement began in 2021. Still, 13.34 million workers remain outside the formal system. The divide is stark: in microenterprises, 84.5 per cent of workers are informal, and in rural areas the rate reaches 82.9 per cent. Bogotá recorded the lowest informality among major cities at 33.2 per cent, while Sincelejo topped the list at 66.7 per cent. Analysts in Bogotá caution that the improvement may stall in the second half of the year as economic growth slows and hiring costs rise following labour reforms.

Argentina’s textile industry is in acute distress. Production fell 23 per cent year-on-year in April, and capacity utilisation dropped to 36.6 per cent in the first four months of 2026, a level not seen outside the pandemic, according to the Pro Tejer foundation. The sector has shed 24,097 direct jobs since December 2023, and apparel prices are rising well below general inflation as firms liquidate stock to cover fixed costs. The contraction forms part of a broader manufacturing slump that has eliminated more than 76,000 positions over the same period.

In Brazil’s Ceará state, a seasonal upswing is under way. Around 600 temporary positions opened in July, concentrated in services and commerce as tourism surges during school holidays and events such as the Fortal festival. The state labour secretary projects that 20 per cent of these roles will convert to permanent contracts, offering a modest but tangible bridge to formal employment for workers like Fabiano Linhares, who had been out of the formal market for six months.

The next milestones will test the resilience of these trends. Mexico’s industrial trajectory hinges on the review of the US–Mexico–Canada trade agreement and the evolution of US sectoral tariffs, which have already hit automotive and steel exports. In Colombia, the second-half data will reveal whether the informality reduction can withstand a decelerating economy and the cost implications of new labour legislation. Argentina’s textile firms, meanwhile, see no immediate catalyst for a demand recovery.