Gaps in Human Capital and Labor Demand in Oaxaca

This report examines the structural barriers that constrain the development of talent in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It proposes concrete strategies to translate the region's cultural, productive, and social richness into well-being for all. The report describes and analyzes the state's indicators on education – where access inequality and low indexes of higher education are prevalent – and the migration to other regions of Mexico and abroad that reinforces labor shortages in local industries. It adopts an encompassing approach to act in the short, medium, and long term, creating employment and stimulating Oaxaca's industries, based on successful case studies. Informed by numerous testimonials, this research demonstrates how to develop the capacities the state needs, as well as how to retain talent, particularly young workers, by reducing inequality and preserving artisanal knowledge and ethnic diversity.