Hermosillo among hardest hit Mexican capitals economically during pandemic

The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico has been especially severe in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora.

Hermosillo lost more than 200 businesses and nearly 8,000 jobs through August, according to analysis done by the civil society group Hermosillo ¿Cómo Vamos?

Among Mexican capital cities, Hermosillo had the fourth-largest loss of formal jobs and businesses, according to the group’s director Ernesto Urbina.

The figures do not include informal jobs and businesses, which are significant and have been heavily impacted during the pandemic.

While clarifying that they were simply hypotheses, Urbina suggested that the relatively weak economy in Sonora prior to the pandemic could be a factor behind the more significant losses seen.

Its heavy dependence on export manufacturing, especially automotive manufacturing, could also be at play, he said.

Fronteras Desk is a KJZZ project covering important stories in an expanse stretching from Northern Arizona deep into northwestern Mexico.