The transformation of the Textile and Apparel sector in Mexico after NAFTA

Based on the preparation of a database that estimates production output numbers, working hours, and their ratios for 5 branches and 27 categories of economic activity, this article analyzes the evolution of the textile and apparel industry in Mexico in the 1994-2008 period. A shift-share type methodology reveals that the incipient process of upgrading following the signing of NAFTA has had mixed results and was not based on a generalized technological transformation, while the use of ECLAC’s Competitive Analysis of Nations methodology for the top twenty export products in 2008 showed a sharp loss of competitiveness in the 2001-2008 period