Border Group Warns That Lack of Customs Staff Could Hamper U.S.-Mexico Trade
(San Antonio Business Journal)
Mexico’s maquiladora manufacturing plants have bounced back from their 2009 recession levels and have returned with higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs, according to the Dallas Federal Reserve.
Despite the violence in Northern Mexico, jobs in Mexico’s manufacturing sector grew 8.2 percent due largely as a result of an uptick in the automotive and electronics industries. Meanwhile, exports to Mexico during the first five months of 2011 are up $14 billion over 2010 levels, according to U.S. Census trade data.
What’s driving the job growth in Mexico is the pickup in activity in U.S. trade. Manufacturers are continuing to fill orders despite the drug war and violence that has consumed part of Mexico.
Because of this increase in cross-border activity, the Border Trade Alliance is urging Washington to address the severe shortage of U.S. Customs personnel at the nation’s port of entries. Read more here.
Date: September 28, 2011
