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About the situation

Diagnosis

In the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (ZMVM), there are 2,351,000 young people with opportunities. Of these, 940,000 live in Mexico City and 1,411,000 in the surrounding municipalities of the State of Mexico.

Of the total, 543,000 young opportunity seekers in the ZMVM are outside the education system, have not completed upper secondary education, and are unemployed. Of the young opportunity seekers, 711,000 are women.

In addition, there are 2.32 million young people employed (employed). Half, 1.15 million, have precarious jobs (509,000 in Mexico City and 641,000 in EdoMex). This means they do not earn a sufficient salary, equivalent to the value of two basic food baskets, and lack social security. In this group, 732,000 men (641 TP3T) are men and 418,000 women (361 TP3T). Of these, 592,000 (511 TP3T) work in microbusinesses; 256,000 (221 TP3T) in small businesses; 138,000 (121 TP3T) in medium-sized establishments; 68,000 (61 TP3T) in large units and the government (61 TP3T). The remaining 81 TP3T, 96,000 young people, work in other types of establishments or there is no data available.

Youth involvement is crucial for building a more participatory, inclusive, and robust democracy. There are 37.8 million young people in Mexico, of whom 26.2 million are between the ages of 18 and 29 (30% on the country's nominal voter list) and who voted in the 2024 elections, with an estimated turnout of 65% (National Electoral Institute). However, this sector demands greater involvement in public spaces and decision-making. The development of young leaders faces mostly negative impressions toward political activity, such as discouragement (68.3%), annoyance (65.2%), and frustration (58.4%). As a result, 63.6% feel excluded from politics, and a large segment of them (73%) experience distrust (Public Opinion Center of the University of the Valley of Mexico and Expansión Política). The perception persists that youth participation and leadership in public affairs is minimal, and that their involvement is scarce. In practice, politics is "foreign" to them, because it is a sphere that marginalizes them and in which they do not feel represented, despite the fact that this age group has evolved toward new forms of political participation.

About the proposal

Aim

Our goal is promote initiatives that positively transform the working conditions of young people, both in Mexico City and in other regions.

Solution

To effectively reverse the gaps in young people's opportunities, it is essential Collaboration between the government, civil society organizations, educational institutions, businesses and the community, promoting leadership, participation and decision-making with young people as subjects of law and agents of social change.

At the JuventudES Platform, we focus on promoting four strategic axes in four topics of the Opportunity Youth Public Policy Agenda in Mexico City.