Rural youth and employment in Tlaxcala, Mexico: Uncertain paths

Abstract

In this paper, the authors describe and interpret some of the processes whereby rural dwellers join the labor market at an early age and follow paths characterized by a high degree of flexibility, uncertainty and improvisation. The research was conducted in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala between 2013 and 2016, using social science methodologies. They discuss how the everyday practices of young people incorporate work arrangements, giving rise to an adult worker/entrepreneur in a precarious situation within a social framework that lacks opportunities.