Mexico is consolidating a multi-layered strategy to integrate refugees, migrants, and repatriated workers into its economy by aligning corporate hiring practices, labor market policy, and public health measures, as companies and authorities respond to sustained mobility flows and workforce needs.
“When the private sector, government, and civil society set aside bias and begin to include and recognize the personality of each individual, very good things start to happen,” says Martha Herrera, Nuevo Leon’s Minister of Equality and Inclusion, reflecting a policy approach that frames migration as an economic and social factor rather than an exception.
Mexico’s progress in refugee inclusion accelerated after commitments made at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum to support people forced to flee their countries. Those commitments are implemented through national integration policies led by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance and supported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees through its Local Integration Program (PIL). The program focuses on relocating refugees to regions with labor demand, facilitating documentation, housing, and orientation, while coordinating directly with employers.
Nuevo Leon authorities say refugees and migrants have helped fill vacancies across manufacturing, retail, and corporate functions, contributing to local economic activity. Herrera says people arriving due to violence or humanitarian crises have generated benefits for the state’s gross domestic product while stabilizing their own livelihoods.
Since 2019, over 50,000 refugees have found protection and employment in Mexico, according to UNHCR data. Over 600 companies have hired refugees through PIL and related initiatives, with their annual tax contributions estimated at about $15 million. Employers report lower turnover among refugee and migrant workers, reducing costs associated with recruitment, training, and lost productivity.
Large employers are increasingly integrating inclusion into workforce planning. Coca-Cola FEMSA operates structured programs to identify and train talent at different stages, including university mentorships, graduate leadership tracks, and postgraduate placements tied to operations in Latin America, while participating in refugee hiring initiatives.
Business involvement has also expanded to support repatriated Mexican workers. The Business Coordinating Council (CCE) says 126 affiliated companies have opened over 45,000 vacancies for people returning to Mexico following deportations, with positions concentrated in Nuevo Leon, Mexico City, and the State of Mexico. Coca-Cola FEMSA is among the participating firms. The initiative offers social security coverage, training and long-term employment stability, coordinated with federal authorities through the México te abraza strategy.
Health policy has become another pillar of integration. In December, the federal government launched a National Strategy for the Health Care of People in Human Mobility, framing access to health services as a constitutional right regardless of migration status. David Kershenobich, Minister of Health, says the strategy addresses migration as a structural reality and prioritizes access, prevention, mental health, sexual, and reproductive health, and follow-up care. Officials cited data showing that migrants, particularly women and children, face elevated health risks and barriers to care during transit and settlement.
Digital tools such as AI-based platforms can support policymakers and employer organizations in advancing integration goals, reports the International Labour Organization (ILO). Private-sector coalitions also support these trends. The Tent Partnership for Refugees, a global network of more than 500 companies, coordinates Tent México, which includes more than 80 corporations. Tent says 46 Mexican companies have committed to reducing barriers that prevent refugees and migrants from accessing jobs. Major employers — including FEMSA, Marriott, and Grupo Comercial Chedraui — have expanded refugee hiring across retail, hospitality, and food distribution. Tent data shows that 74% of Mexican consumers are more likely to buy from companies that hire refugees, indicating reputational and commercial incentives alongside labor supply considerations.
Together, these initiatives reflect a shift toward treating mobility as part of economic planning. By aligning labor inclusion, corporate workforce strategies, and health policy, Mexico is embedding migration into its development framework, positioning refugees, migrants, and returnees as participants in productivity, social cohesion, and long-term growth rather than as temporary exceptions to the labor market.