ECONOMIC CRISIS, UNEMPLOYMENT, MIGRATION AND COVID IN THE INFORMAL TRADE OF CIUDAD JUÁREZ

Abstract

The informal sector is an essential component of the Mexican economy, in Ciudad Juárez it is an extended activity in various areas of the town. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze the impact of the economic crisis generated by covid-19, unemployment, migration, and the health contingency of this pandemic on informal commerce in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The research was developed from a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational, and explanatory approach. During May 2021, a self-designed questionnaire was applied to 218 informal merchants located in four different sectors of the city hall. The results show a positive and significant correlation between the economic crisis and the decision to engage in informal trade. The existence of a positive and significant correlation was also found between unemployment and the decision to be part of the informal trade. Instead, a negative and non-significant correlation was found between the phenomenon of migration and the decision to engage in informal trade. Finally, it was possible to see that the pandemic derived from covid-19 was not a relevant factor for people to make the decision to be part of the informal economy.