At a press conference on Monday, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, Mexico’s next president, expressed her support for promoting “nearshoring,” or relocation of companies to Mexico. Sheinbaum insisted on the need to guarantee fair wages with this new wave of jobs, stressing the importance of not selling Mexico as a cheap labor market.
IMPACT OF NEOLIBERAL POLICIES
Sheinbaum recalled the negative impact of neoliberal policies in the country and criticized the labor policies of recent decades.
“During the 36 years of the neoliberal period, the objective was to ‘sell Mexico as cheap labor,’ there can be nothing more inhumane than that,” said Sheinbaum.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE T-MEC
In addition, the president-elect highlighted the particular moment that Mexico is experiencing due to the United States-Mexico-Canada-USMCA Trade Agreement, which grants the country competitive advantages in the global context.
“It gives us an opportunity in Mexico for what is known as the famous relocation of companies, the famous ‘nearshoring’ as they call it in English, which means that American companies are no longer looking to set up in China but rather prefer a regional market, which is particularly Mexico,” he explained.
SUSTAINABLE RELOCATION STRATEGIES
Sheinbaum stressed the need to implement well-planned and sustainable relocation strategies.
“It is important that in the well-being hubs you do not put a company where there is no water, or where there is no access to a nearby educational center,” he said, stressing the importance of locating new industries in regions that are suitable and prepared to receive them.
Sheinbaum also defended the State’s intervention in guaranteeing the well-being of the population.
“It is good that there is private investment, however, the State has the obligation to guarantee a welfare state with education, health, access to housing and other things,” she said. The president-elect promised to strengthen these policies during her term, assuring that “there will be more welfare, because rights generate welfare, the welfare of the people, the happiness of the people is not the access of a person to more economic resources but rather having access to welfare.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Finally, Claudia Sheinbaum’s stance on “nearshoring” reflects a vision of economic development that prioritizes not only attracting foreign investment, but also creating fair and sustainable working conditions for Mexican workers. With the promise of strengthening these policies during her presidency, Sheinbaum aspires to a growth model that benefits the entire population, ensuring a balance between private investment and social well-being.
2024-07-15 22:24:15