ARIZONA & MEXICO

Whereas exports and imports to and from maquiladora/IMMEX sector are not specifically detailed in
trade statistics, the connections are obvious when the composition of transborder commodity flows is
compared with the sectoral make-up of the IMMEX establishments. On average, about $6.6 billion worth
of manufacturing products heads south to Mexico and another $10 billion worth from Mexico crosses
the Arizona border. 1 This includes both export/import transactions of Arizona-based companies, as well
as trade between other U.S. states and Mexico that use Arizona’s border ports of entry.
IMMEX ESTABLISHMENTS BY INDUSTRY SECTOR
IMMEX encompasses more than 6,000 establishments and employs close to 2.5 million people in
Mexico. Manufacturing establishments account for approximately 82 percent of the total number of
establishments and 89 percent of total employment. The non-manufacturing activities, which include
agriculture and mining services, account for 18 percent of establishments and 11 percent of the total
IMMEX employment. The IMMEX manufacturing plants accounts for more than 60 percent of Mexican
manufacturing production.
MANUFACTURING OF TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT IS THE LEADER AMONG
MANUFACTURING SECTORS
Transportation equipment manufacturing, which includes Mexico’s burgeoning auto industry, is the
strongest sector measured by number of employees and revenues. Although this sector accounts only
for 16 percent of the number of establishments, it provides close to one third of all IMMEX
manufacturing jobs (Figure 3). A full 44 percent of the total IMMEX manufacturing sector revenues are
generated by the transportation equipment manufacturing with auto parts and car assembly at its core.
Figure 3: IMMEX Manufacturing Employment by Sector 2014 (%)
Source: INEGI. Estadística Integral del programa de la Industria Manufacturera, maquiladora y
de Servicios de Exportación (IMMEX), Feb. 2015. Data are averages January-November 2014.
www.inegi.org.mx
1
Source: AZMEX Indicators http://azmex.eller.arizona.edu
APRIL 2016 • ARIZONA TOWN HALL • ARIZONA & MEXICO • 42