Looking for work in Mexico after 50 or in retirement: where to turn

A vast market whose reality varies greatly from city to city

Mexico is a large country, and its job market changes sharply from one region to another. Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara concentrate services, industry and company headquarters; the Bajío and the north rely on manufacturing and the car industry; the south and the coasts depend more on tourism and farming. A large share of activity remains informal, and that affects older workers too.

For someone over 50 the challenge is twofold: to find work that makes use of experience, and to make sure the arrangement is clear, with a contract, an agreed rate of pay and social protection. This page gives general pointers. It promises no job and no income, and it does not replace the advice of a local professional.

Describe a concrete professional service

Instead of presenting a whole career, it works better to say what you can bring to a company or a shop. Here are some services that experienced people sometimes offer:

• organising a stockroom or improving a delivery route;
• helping customers with purchases or paperwork;
• training a colleague in a tool, a standard or a language;
• keeping simple accounts or preparing administrative files;
• supervising a small team on a site or in a workshop.

Prepare your experience in Spanish, with precise examples and references that can be checked. Local availability, a contact who can be reached and a plain explanation of your tasks make the first conversation with an employer easier.

Public bodies and job boards worth knowing

Several resources exist side by side, and they complement one another.

• The national employment service. Its portal lets you search for vacancies by occupation and city, and find workshops or job fairs held in the individual states.
• The national institute for older people (INAPAM). It describes a productive-placement service for older adults. Check the access conditions, the minimum age and the nature of the proposals, which are not necessarily limited to paid employment.
• Job boards and temping agencies. They publish vacancies in many sectors and let you create an online profile.

The same vacancy may appear on several sites. Check who the company really is before you send personal documents, and be wary of any request for payment in return for a job.

Telling paid employment from other forms of activity

Not every proposal made to older people is a job in the legal sense. You will meet salaried posts with a contract, work paid by tips or commission, supervised volunteering, small one-off jobs and family business projects.

Before committing, ask:

1. whether you will be given a written contract;
2. the amount, the frequency and the method of payment;
3. whether you will be registered with social security (IMSS);
4. the hours, the days off and the physical demands;
5. the workplace and the cost of getting there.

Undeclared work generally brings neither health cover nor pension contributions. The lack of protection often proves costly later, especially after an accident or an illness.

Pension, income and work: do not assume anything goes

The Mexican system includes contributory pensions tied to the social security institute, company pensions and public support for older people. Age and contribution conditions depend on the scheme and on the date of entry into the system.

Going back to work while a pension is already being paid raises practical questions:

• is combining the two allowed, and within what limits?
• must the employer register the person with social security?
• does extra income change a public benefit or a tax advantage?
• will a foreign pension carry on being paid in the same way?

Each scheme has its own rules. Retirement does not automatically permit every kind of activity. Asking the paying body for a written answer before signing spares you painful corrections afterwards.

Foreign nationals: the work permit is a separate procedure

A retiree from France, Belgium, Switzerland or Luxembourg, or indeed from elsewhere, who lives in Mexico or plans to settle there must keep the residence status apart from the right to work. Depending on the category of stay granted, paid activity may need a specific authorisation issued by the National Migration Institute (INM). Procedures, required documents and waiting times vary by profile.

It is sensible to go in this order:

1. consult the Mexican consulate or the INM about the suitable status;
2. obtain the authorisation before accepting a job or invoicing a client;
3. have a professional look at taxation between the two countries;
4. check what health cover applies while you are working.

Working without authorisation can lead to administrative penalties and jeopardise a later renewal of your stay.

Contracts, trades and living conditions to examine

Wages in Mexico vary enormously with the city and the sector, and the amounts offered to older workers depend on the nature of the post, the company and the level of responsibility. It is better to compare several adverts and to ask, from the interview onwards, for the detail of the pay: base salary, bonuses, benefits, days of leave and the year-end bonus that the law provides for employees.

Working conditions deserve careful attention too: heat in some regions, altitude in Mexico City and the centre, long distances by car, and the safety of night-time journeys. A job in a city centre reachable by public transport may, for someone over 60, be a better choice than a better-paid offer far away.

Any health cover provided by the employer, where it exists, should be compared with the insurance you already hold.

A sample approach in four steps

Here, purely as an example, is how a former purchasing manager living in Querétaro might structure a search. Nothing guarantees a result.

1. Write a profile in Spanish that highlights stock management and supplier negotiation.
2. Register with the national employment service portal, a job board and a temping agency, then note the vacancies close to home.
3. Ask the first interested employer in writing about the type of contract, the hours and registration with social security.
4. Have your residence status checked, and the effect of earnings on your pension, before giving a final answer.

Taking the steps in this order keeps the decision in your hands until every condition is clear.