Profile of the Street Vendor in Mexicali, Mexico

Abstract

The ambulant commerce in Mexico is an important generator of employment. This national phenomenon has particularities locally that must be analyzed to better understand this group. The purpose of this article is to establish the profile of ambulant merchant of Mexicali Mexico, in demographic, economic and labor issues for which a survey of 289 merchants was designed. Also, using logistic regression a differentiation is done between the ambulant merchant who has always worked in informality respect of which has worked or works in formality. The results show a high level of job insecurity, ambulant commerce is a family activity. The variables that define the profile of the ambulant are sex, marital status, age of onset in informality and seniority as informal. Its conclude that the ambulant arises from the inability of the formal labor market to provide adequate income for the individual; however, street vendors also im- proves the quality of life, therefore, job insecurity is an essential part of this broad group in the city of Mexicali, Baja California.