Mexico remains among the countries with the highest proportion of young people outside the education system and the labor market within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), reports eluniversal.com.mx. Despite the expansion of social programs and scholarships since 2019, the figure has stagnated at nearly 20%, doubling the 12% average recorded by the international organization.
Comparable OECD data consistently places Mexico alongside economies like Turkey, Italy, and Greece at the highest levels of this indicator. In measurements prior to 2018, the country reached peaks near 24%, and in recent analyses, the percentage has hovered around 18.1%.
Experts consulted by the outlet warned that the persistence of this phenomenon is due to structural failures such as labor informality, inequality, and an education system disconnected from market needs. Economic transfers alone have proven insufficient to reverse the trend, according to the analysis.
A Structural Problem Beyond Scholarships
Fernando Ruiz, an expert on educational issues, noted that the lack of change over the last decade demonstrates that the problem is not merely situational. "This suggests that we are not facing a temporary issue, but a structural one that cannot be solved with isolated interventions," Ruiz stated.
The expert emphasized that while scholarships help alleviate immediate economic pressures, they do not address the root causes of school dropout. He proposed that the country must move toward comprehensive pathways that include mental health support, vocational guidance, and access to formal employment, rather than relying solely on financial aid.
For her part, Jimena Hernández, a researcher at the Institute for the Development of Education (Inide) at the Ibero-American University, emphasized that the phenomenon must be understood as a problem of social exclusion. "Staying at these levels since 2011 proves that there are structural problems we have failed to resolve," the academic maintained.
Hernández warned that a lack of incentives in schools and poor-quality curricula are pushing young people to leave the classroom. Furthermore, she cautioned that graduation rates are falling, which could lead to significant setbacks in educational attainment in the short term. The researcher also questioned the impact of programs like 'Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro' (Youth Building the Future), suggesting that in some contexts, financial support may actually discourage school retention given the precarious nature of the formal labor market.
