US Department of Labor awards $12M to support improved enforcement of Mexico’s labor laws, landmark 2019 reform efforts

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of grant funding of $12 million to the American Institutes for Research to empower federal and state labor inspectors in Mexico to improve enforcement of Mexico’s landmark 2019 labor law reform in five of its states.

AIR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research, evaluation and technical assistance organization based in Arlington, Virginia.

Administered by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, this funding opportunity strengthens the enforcement capabilities of federal and state Mexican labor authorities and improves their labor inspection’s efficacy to ensure labor rights compliance.

The project’s strategy for achieving this goal includes the development and launch of a comprehensive and sustainable training program for labor inspectors at the federal and state levels, improvements in strategic planning, administration, resource management of labor inspections, and establishing proper outreach and compliance initiatives. The project will focus on developing skills and competencies to apply to inspections in U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement priority sectors, in targeted Northern states and with relevant supply chain actors.