The labor flexibility model that underpins the collaborative economy of delivery and transportation through applications in Mexico faces a strong structural shock in terms of social security. According to official registration figures from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), during the sixth month of 2026, it became evident that only one out of every seven workers affiliated with digital platforms had the necessary income conditions to access full formal employment. This means that only 14% of the total database of this productive sector, estimated at approximately 1.7 million active people nationwide, reached the economic thresholds necessary to contribute to all the insurance and coverage branches offered by the institute.
This phenomenon responds directly to the operational and fiscal rules of the formalization phase of the independent digital platform workers' program being implemented in the country. Under IMSS regulations for the 2026 fiscal year, delivery drivers and conductors must report a minimum income level that varies drastically depending on the transportation tool used (car, motorcycle, or bicycle) and discount exclusion percentages from net income without considering tips. For an application driver in a car, for example, it is mandatory to generate approximately 19,000 gross pesos per month to overcome these exclusions and for the net taxable salary to meet the minimum legal standard. If this financial range is not reached, the system excludes them from the coverage scheme for pensions, daycares, and comprehensive medical services.
Consequently, the remaining 86% of the workforce on digital platforms is exclusively limited to receiving work-risk insurance, which provides medical protection unique and strictly for traffic accidents or incidents suffered during active service provision within the application. This economic gap reflects that, although the food delivery and transportation sector has functioned as the main buffer and volume generator in the country's labor payroll, the increase in the daily operating costs of delivery drivers (vehicle maintenance, fuel, and depreciation) continues to act as a barrier that hinders their transition to full social security, opening the debate towards proportional contribution schemes based on hours worked instead of full minimum wages.
From the perspective of the next+ team, IMSS data on platform employment highlights an urgent dilemma for senior management and decision-makers: the sustainability of the on-demand economy cannot be maintained indefinitely at the expense of the precariousness of its front-line service. While digital channels have democratized agile self-employment options, designing a regulatory structure that demands difficult-to-achieve incomes for the vast majority of the fleet generates a risk of constant turnover and discourages loyalty to applications. For corporations that rely on last-mile logistics networks, the real strategic challenge will be to co-design more transparent compensation schemes, optimize service fees, and actively collaborate with regulators to formulate contribution models based on effective working hours. Only those brands that embrace the formality of their collaborators as a reputational and operational resilience asset will manage to shield their distribution chain in the medium term.