Greater manufacturing exports to the United States should continue to drive an all-important sector of the Mexican economy, manufactured goods, particularly the automotive industry. Lower gasoline prices in the United States could provide an even greater boost to demand in this sector. In addition, recovery of the Mexican construction sector should continue in the wake of the restructuring of the private-sector housing industry.
Employment and Income Situation First, I will talk about developments in the employment and income situation. Supply-demand conditions in the labor market have continued to tighten steadily and employee income has increased moderately. The rate of increase in the number of employees has remained at around 1 percent.