# Mexico Payscale for IT employees



## siva591 (Dec 19, 2014)

Dear All,

I have been working in a reputed MNC for a little over 10 months in Guadalajara. But I am a contractor, not a direct employee. Now they are cosidering to make me a permanent employee, I would like to know what is the payscale or the market rate for an IT employee in Guadalajara.

My details

*Experience* : 6 Years in a reputed MNC
*Technology* : Java Development and Workflow Automation Developer with Database administration knowledge.

Another question. Can I expect the same salary which one can get in US in Mexico(with same experience and responsibilities)

Thanks in advance.

Merry Christmas.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

No you cannot expect the same pay scale as the US and you will not spend as much either.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

citlali said:


> No you cannot expect the same pay scale as the US and you will not spend as much either.


I don't know what an MNC is (multi-national corporation?), but technicians in Guadalajara get paid about $15,000 mxn/month. If you are paid by a company in some other currency, you might do better. I worked for the Mexican government for awhile and most of the technicians were making somewhat under $20,000 mxn. Group managers did better, a lot better. In the US, a Java developer with experience would probably make 10 times what they make in Mexico for the same work.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

A Mexican friend and former English student of mine living in Mexico City works in IT for an American company. One day she told me that one reason this company has outsourced some of its work to Mexico is because Mexicans do an excellent job for cheaper!


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## siva591 (Dec 19, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> I don't know what an MNC is (multi-national corporation?), but technicians in Guadalajara get paid about $15,000 mxn/month. If you are paid by a company in some other currency, you might do better. I worked for the Mexican government for awhile and most of the technicians were making somewhat under $20,000 mxn. Group managers did better, a lot better. In the US, a Java developer with experience would probably make 10 times what they make in Mexico for the same work.


Multi-National Company. Thanks for the info. But the salaries of and MNC drastically differ from that of a Government job I suppose. Not sure though. Thanks anyway.


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## siva591 (Dec 19, 2014)

Isla Verde said:


> A Mexican friend and former English student of mine living in Mexico City works in IT for an American company. One day she told me that one reason this company has outsourced some of its work to Mexico is because Mexicans do an excellent job for cheaper!


That is correct!!. Americans outsource to Mexican counterparts. They again outsource to local agency who provide even cheaper labor personal. Finally one gets peanuts where as these companies make millions of profit.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

siva591 said:


> Multi-National Company. Thanks for the info. But the salaries of and MNC drastically differ from that of a Government job I suppose. Not sure though. Thanks anyway.


If the company pays someone in pesos, the figures I quoted will be typical. If someone is paid in dollars or euros, the salary will be much better.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> A Mexican friend and former English student of mine living in Mexico City works in IT for an American company. One day she told me that one reason this company has outsourced some of its work to Mexico is because Mexicans do an excellent job for cheaper!


Same thing happens with Indian and Irish people, besides they can speak English


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> Same thing happens with Indian and Irish people, besides they can speak English


My friend also speaks English; otherwise, she wouldn't have been hired for her position. So what's your point, Gary? That it's ok for a company to outsource jobs just to save money?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> My friend also speaks English; otherwise, she wouldn't have been hired for her position. So what's your point, Gary? That it's ok for a company to outsource jobs just to save money?


Isn't that always the reason companies outsource jobs, to save money. And is it any different than someone who drives to Home Depot instead of shopping at the corner hardware store. (The irony in Mexico is that the corner store is often cheaper than Home Depot).


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I worked for a Multi National corpaoration and salary scales varied in every single country and the hiring practices were also vey different and the business practises were also very different.
Now if you were the president of a US company and they wanted you to go to another country where the pay scale were different and they really wanted you they made it worth your while. They could not go anyone to work in Lagos so the payscale and percs were different but for regular jobs the payscales are different in every country.
My nephew works at Apple in France and is not making the same amount of money as his counterpart in the US.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> One day she told me that one reason this company has outsourced some of its work to Mexico is because Mexicans do an excellent job for cheaper!


It may be even worse in this case. Assuming the original poster is referring to Intel, their Guadalajara plant isn't content to just employ Mexicans for the cheaper rate, but also imports many IT professionals from half a world away, eg India, Pakistan etc. Obviously the pay scale would be well below USA rates, and I'm wondering in fact how salaries for workers from these countries compare with those paid to Mexican workers?

If you add to that Shiva's info that he was employed as a contractor for a full 10 months, ie not receiving the conditions and entitlements of an employee, and that local labor hire agencies are involved, you'd have to assume Intel is going to great lengths to drive its wages expenditure super low. 

Maybe if or when Shiva accepts the position offered he'd be kind enough to share as much info here about wages as he's comfortable in doing.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

citlali said:


> I worked for a Multi National corpaoration and salary scales varied in every single country and the hiring practices were also vey different and the business practises were also very different.
> Now if you were the president of a US company and they wanted you to go to another country where the pay scale were different and they really wanted you they made it worth your while. They could not go anyone to work in Lagos so the payscale and percs were different but for regular jobs the payscales are different in every country.
> My nephew works at Apple in France and is not making the same amount of money as his counterpart in the US.


A few months ago, I read that Burger King in Denmark pays its employees the equivalent of $20/hr with typical European benefits (health care, generous vacation). This is the same company that is among those claiming that raising the minimum wage in the US will force them to eliminate jobs. What raising the minimum wage will do is cut into their profits. Since Burger King can't outsource frying hamburgers, they have to meet local labor rules. But that doesn't apply to manufacturing.

There used to be somewhat of a power balance between unions and companies. With the advent of globalization, there is really no rein on the power of big multinational companies. That is the real problem, not globalization itself.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> Isn't that always the reason companies outsource jobs, to save money. And is it any different than someone who drives to Home Depot instead of shopping at the corner hardware store. (The irony in Mexico is that the corner store is often cheaper than Home Depot).



Sure they do it to increase profits, and governments rarely do anything to protect the workers who lose their outsourced jobs.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> There used to be somewhat of a power balance between unions and companies. With the advent of globalization, there is really no rein on the power of big multinational companies. That is the real problem, not globalization itself.


Yeah, fully agree about the potential benefits of globalization, including for workers in a multinational company. Being encouraged to become ‘citizens of the world’ and learn about other cultures by taking an interest in their international colleagues, being able to take advantage of opportunities for advancement that include overseas posts etc. Shame that the potential rarely turns into the reality! 

Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I think trade unions are doing their best to meet the globalization challenge. They're becoming either increasingly globalized themselves (eg Caterpillar workers forming a single union across a number of countries a few years back) or unions in more developed countries are taking actions to show solidarity with fellow workers who are being exploited elsewhere in an effort to improve their situation (eg mine workers in Australia striking in support of miners employed by the same company in ….Iran? China?). Forget the details but I remember the theme: Workers of the World Unite!!


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## siva591 (Dec 19, 2014)

buzzbar said:


> Maybe if or when Shiva accepts the position offered he'd be kind enough to share as much info here about wages as he's comfortable in doing.


Thanks buzzbar. Sure I will let you know the details. But I have some statistics from another MNC which is a India based company.

People deputed from India here are getting around 36K after tax deductions which is a very competitive figure. And Mexicans who are employed are getting even more(except for the newbies who get around 10 to 20k).

My Company is offering me very low. 39K gross. after tax deductions(with 25 to 30% slab) it is around 29K which is very less considering I have changed from the above mentioned Indian based company.

But I am still in negotiation and let you know any further details.


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

I once worked in a maquila. The Mexican managers and professionals got about half what their US counterparts got. They all knew this and either were bitter or tried like crazy to get that opportunity to go the the US or both. The factory workers were much less educated and got next to nothing, like a couple bucks an hour.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I once worked in a maquila. The Mexican managers and professionals got about half what their US counterparts got. They all knew this and either were bitter or tried like crazy to get that opportunity to go the the US or both. The factory workers were much less educated and got next to nothing, like a couple bucks an hour.


The pay in some of the maquiladoras in Guatemala used to be $2 per day, not per hour. The latest statistics show that has increased somewhat, but the maquilas are still allowed to pay less than the legal minimum wage, which is $9/day. Since they are often forced to work long shifts, e.g. 12 hours, that's still less than $1 hourly wage. And many women workers are still being subjected to illegal monthly pregnancy tests, and if found to be pregnant they are often summarily dismissed. 

Here is a recent article which touches on some of these issues. 

Guatemala: Women Textile Workers Reject Exploitative 'Maquila Bill' | News | teleSUR English

What I find especially disheartening is that 25 yrs ago I was involved with a group (non-Union, non-governmental, just concerned people from Guatemala and Canada) trying to raise awareness of the exploitation of maquiladora workers to bring about constructive change of improved wages and working conditions but without the companies pulling out and moving to a different country. It seems there has been little real progress on this front. And certainly those of us NOB don't want to sacrifice our cheap clothing... If the more ethical manufacturers made tags saying, "This article of clothing costs $2 more than a similar competitor's brand so we can double the wages of our workers in Guatemala (or Mexico, Honduras, Bangladesh, etc." would we be more likely to buy it? Or would we opt to save those 2 bucks?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Tundra green if Burger King wants to have employees they have to go by the local salary ranges so they do it is that simple. It happens that the salaries in Europe are higher and the cost of each employee to the emploer is also way higher as well but last time I went to a BK in Paris I paid something liek 18 or 20 Euros for what I got..I usually have a junior and maybe a soft drink and never more..


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I once worked in a maquila. The Mexican managers and professionals got about half what their US counterparts got. They all knew this and either were bitter or tried like crazy to get that opportunity to go the the US or both. The factory workers were much less educated and got next to nothing, like a couple bucks an hour.


I don´t think any Mexican managers or professionals here in Mexico get 1/2 of their counterparts in the USA or Canada in any factories. My guess would be 1/4 to 1/6 th of the yearly salary.


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

My experience was first hand so be careful with sweeping generalizations.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> My friend also speaks English; otherwise, she wouldn't have been hired for her position. So what's your point, Gary? That it's ok for a company to outsource jobs just to save money?


If they get the same work quality, of course it is.
Who would not do that?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> My experience was first hand so be careful with sweeping generalizations.


It might have been limited first hand but your obvious putting every factory, every professional and every skilled, experienced educated manager in the same basket is wrong and not accurate. I know what a 5 years university degree and a 2 to 3 year apprenticeship in Mexico professional "Licenciado/a" in economics, business, education, administration, CPAs, engineers, IT Engineers, etc. makes. You don´t or you wouldn´t have stated 1/2 the equivalet to a US university Master´s degree professional.


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## Mithunkaar (Dec 23, 2015)

siva591 said:


> Thanks buzzbar. Sure I will let you know the details. But I have some statistics from another MNC which is a India based company.
> 
> People deputed from India here are getting around 36K after tax deductions which is a very competitive figure. And Mexicans who are employed are getting even more(except for the newbies who get around 10 to 20k).
> 
> ...


Hi Shiva,

When you say 39K gross - Is that Pesos per month? or USD per annum?
Sorry. Newbie to this forum.

Trying to find some information for my bro who is moving to Mexico.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Mithunkaar said:


> Hi Shiva,
> 
> When you say 39K gross - Is that Pesos per month? or USD per annum?
> Sorry. Newbie to this forum.
> ...


For a long time the exchange rate was around 12 pesos to the dollar. That made it very easy to think about salaries. The number of pesos/month was equal to the number of dollars/year. Now that the peso has dropped in value, that simple conversion no longer works.


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## Mithunkaar (Dec 23, 2015)

Thanks a lot for your reply. any idea how much an Expat IT project manager is paid per annum ?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Salary Survey in Mexico in Engineering| Salary Comparison

Salaries are dependant on responsibilty. If you manage 15 engineers they will pay you plenty. If you are one of the 15, not much.

If you are responsible for billions of pesos per month being administrated they will pay you about $150,000 pesos per month as an Economist with a Licenciatura degree and a previous administration portfolio. If you are one of the underlings not responsible directly but working for the head administrator as accountants, computer systems engineers, Licenciado/a in law, administration, business, human resources, etc. your pay will not be much. Trying to get and hold a high paying professional job takes a decade or two or more of reputation and connections. Filling a slot on a team will not get you much money here in Mexico. See the average monthly wages in the professions in the above chart.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Mithunkaar said:


> Thanks a lot for your reply. any idea how much an Expat IT project manager is paid per annum ?



Salary Survey in Mexico in Information Technology| Salary Comparison


Average and Median Monthly Salary Comparison in Mexico in Information Technology

Maximum: 300,000 MXN 



Average: 36,183 MXN 



Median: 25,000 MXN 



Minimum: 8,600 MXN 


Job Division Average Salary 
Administrators 20,333 MXN 
Networking 23,208 MXN 
Analyst and Architects 24,120 MXN 
Other IT Jobs 27,336 MXN 
Helpdesk and Support 29,800 MXN 
Developers and Programmers 31,115 MXN 
Database and Data 38,000 MXN 
Consultants 48,125 MXN 
Managers and Supervisors 49,982 MXN


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

Interesting data. It does validate my previous comments.

I'm curious why the IT professionals on this thread want to move to Mexico?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I'm curious why the IT professionals on this thread want to move to Mexico?


Me too. Maybe it's the usually great weather or the chance to eat real Mexican food!


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> Interesting data. It does validate my previous comments.
> 
> I'm curious why the IT professionals on this thread want to move to Mexico?






AlanMexicali said:


> Salary Survey in Mexico in Information Technology| Salary Comparison
> 
> 
> Average and Median Monthly Salary Comparison in Mexico in Information Technology
> ...



Salary Survey in United States in Information Technology


Salary Comparison By Job Division (Average Monthly Salary)

In one particular domain, some divisions get better salaries than others. Displayed below is the salary comparison by job division. Clicking on any of them will display data only for the chosen item.



Job Division Average Salary 
Helpdesk and Support 3,942 USD ; $67,014 pesos at $17,00 pesos to 1 USD.
Other IT Jobs 5,145 USD ; $87, 465 pesos 
Networking 5,405 USD ; $91,885 pesos
Web 5,476 USD 
Administrators 5,481 USD ; $93,177 pesos 
Developers and Programmers 6,632 USD ; $112,744 pesos 
Database and Data 6,910 USD ; $117,470 pesos 
Analyst and Architects 7,180 USD ; $122,145 pesos
Consultants 7,500 USD ; $127,500 pesos
Managers and Supervisors 8,296 USD; $141,000 pesos
Security 8,704 USD 


Basically 3 to 4 times the monthly salaries in the US compared to monthly salaries in Mexico in IT Technologies. This confirms my previous position on professional salaries in Mexico compared to US professional salaries.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I'm curious why the IT professionals on this thread want to move to Mexico?


 They are strong links between Indian IT firms and Guadalajara, Mexico's Silicon Valley.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> They are strong links between Indian IT firms and Guadalajara, Mexico's Silicon Valley.


So instead of hiring Mexicans, these Indian firms bring in their own people from India.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> They are strong links between Indian IT firms and Guadalajara, Mexico's Silicon Valley.


Does that mean that some Indian IT companies open branches in Mexico? If they import Indian engineers and so on, how does that help Mexican IT people?


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Does that mean that some Indian IT companies open branches in Mexico? If they import Indian engineers and so on, how does that help Mexican IT people?


I guess it goes right back to what was discussed at the start of the discussion, multinationals and their thirst for ever higher profits. 

Tata Consulting, based in Mumbai, is highlighted in the article - in USA it’s the second biggest user of H-1B guest workers, just behind the largest, InfoSys, which is another Indian based company and also has offices in Mexico. Both of these multinationals are under investigation for abusing the H-1B visa scheme in USA, with the move from the Department of Labor coming shortly after the businesses laid off over 500 employees they were supplying to Edison and replaced them with foreign guest workers. 

You’d have to assume it’s the same in many, if not all, of the 43 countries that Tata Consulting operates in, including Mexico. Import workers from India to undercut the wages paid to local workers. Tata sure has plenty of form, settling a class action suit against it two years ago for $30 million. As well as underpaying Indian imported workers in USA, it even went as far as forcing Indian employees to sign over their tax refunds to the company.

I think it’s fair to conclude that these Indian multinationals have no interest in supporting local IT workers, in Mexico or any other country.

As an aside, I have somewhat of a personal interest in the topic through working briefly for an Indian man who ran a very small IT company in Australia. I was the help desk / customer rep guy with no IT qualifications (or many skills – I was hired because they “need a local to deal with customers, not someone with an Indian accent”.) Every other employee was an IT professional, with impressive qualifications, brought across from India. I was always slightly embarrassed to be the highest paid employee in that company. I truly felt sorry for those guys, including when the order came down that all Indian employees (ie everyone except me) were required to address the boss as “Sir”. Any complaints, any questioning, they were on the first Air India flight back home.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> I guess it goes right back to what was discussed at the start of the discussion, multinationals and their thirst for ever higher profits.
> 
> Tata Consulting, based in Mumbai, is highlighted in the article - in USA it’s the second biggest user of H-1B guest workers, just behind the largest, InfoSys, which is another Indian based company and also has offices in Mexico. Both of these multinationals are under investigation for abusing the H-1B visa scheme in USA, with the move from the Department of Labor coming shortly after the businesses laid off over 500 employees they were supplying to Edison and replaced them with foreign guest workers.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this revealing post. I wonder why I'm not surprised at the way these companies function all over the world.


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