What little evidence there is of employment mobility indicates that employees generally rise within a career in one company. While the focus of the state of Sonora on continuous skills development for the benefit of the maquila industry is commendable, too narrow skills development will not serve Sonora’s population and economy in the long run. Stronger emphasis needs to be placed on general competencies that will allow people to adjust to rapid changes in the labour market and have the capacity for lifelong learning. Also, given the needs of the state to build a knowledge economy and infrastructure serving its diverse industrial base, changes to the tax regimes governing the maquila industries should be considered in view of the need to invest in long-term economic development.