In the last year, Costa Rica significantly improved its level of English language proficiency, while the rest of Central America made no significant progress.
The global English language company Education First published its 2018 report, which defines five levels of language proficiency in 88 countries around the world by calculating an index called "English Proficiency Index".
According to Education First's English Proficiency Index, Costa Rica and El Salvador have not been able to raise their level of proficiency in the last five years, while Panama and Guatemala, which in 2014 and 2015 did improve their performance, fell in 2016 to the "Very low" level.
The index published each year by Global Education First defines three levels of language proficiency in 72 countries around the world.In the world rankings, Costa Rica,Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador ranked 38, 53, 50 and 63, respectively.
In Panama four out of ten companies failed to find the ideal candidates when they needed them.
Data from Manpower reveals that worldwide the talent shortage is around 40%, in Colombia it is 50% and in Panama 36%.Monica Flores, president of the group for the region, said that"...
Seven out of ten entrepreneurs in Costa Rica would be willing to implement training programs for young people in the academic-work placement format.
A statement from the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprises (UCCAEP) notes that"...72% of employers would be interested in launching training programs under the dual mode and 83% said they already have accepted into their businesses students or trainees for internships or professional work experience."
According to the English Proficiency Index produced by Education First, Guatemala and Panama have improved, moving from the "very low" group to the "low" group, while Costa Rica and El Salvador remain stagnant at that level.
The index, which the global English teaching business Education First publishes annually, defines three levels of proficiency in 70 countries worldwide.
The unemployment rate now reaches 10% in a population where 60% of workers have not completed high school, but teachers refuse to be evaluated on their ability in subjects they teach.
EDITORIAL
An article in Nacion.com cites statements by Victor Morales, Minister of Labour, on the rising unemployment levels in Costa Rica: "...There is a mismatch between supply and demand in the corporate sector. There is a demand for skilled technicians; but most of the Costa Rican labor force is unskilled. 60% have not finished high school; it is a national drama. "
According to Education First's English Proficiency Index, in Costa Rica the English level is low, while in Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador it is very low.
Out of the 63 countries surveyed in the English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), Costa Rica ranks 43, Guatemala is No. 51, followed by Panama in position 52 and El Salvador in 53.
Companies recognize how important managing a growing international and mobile workforce is for the future of their businesses, but they do not know how to do it.
Companies do not have an appropriate strategy to deal with the transformation that is happening the way of working in the world -from the convergence of five generations to operations spread across the planet- which will lead to a crisis in management, attraction and retention of talent, concludes the Workforce 2020 study, prepared by Oxford Economics and SAP.
A poor level of English is still one of Latin America's most significant competitive weaknesses, especially in the countries of Central America.
Of the 60 countries evaluated in the English Proficiency Index developed by EF Educatio First (EF EPI), Costa Rica ranks in 37th place, Guatemala at number 52, followed by El Salvador at 53 and Panama at 56.
Costa Rica needs 75,000 coffee pickers for the harvesting which starts in November and another 7,350 people to harvest sugar cane and melon.
This was announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MTSS) who in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agro-Industrial Sugarcane League (LAY) and the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (iCafe), conducted a campaign to find those 82,350 employees for the harvest season which runs from November to April.
China is losing its cheap labor advantage, opening opportunities for growth in the manufacturing sectors of countries like Nicaragua.
According to a report by Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence firm based in Texas, "China's economic problems have opened the door to 16 different countries, including Ethiopia, Mexico, Indonesia and Peru, to become global forces in the growth of the manufacturing sector, "noted an article in Americaeconomia.com.
Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador attract investment based on the exploitation of natural resources and unskilled, but cheap, labor.
A report by the Central American Institute for Fiscal Studies (ICEF), reveals that Central America recorded last year $9.70 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), with Panama and Costa Rica being the recipients of about 60% of these flows.
Rigid working structures remains an obstacle to be overcome by women, even though new technologies have made working conditions more flexible in the world.
According to Sonia Vanegas, country manager of Manpower, at a global level, for several years many companies have started to promote policies that are friendly to women's performance. "Many women still fail to establish the balance between personal and professional life due to, among other things, rigid schedules that keep them stuck in the office," says Vanegas.
In Guatemala investment is between 16% and 17% of gross domestic product, in Southeast Asia, the figure is between 25% and 35%.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that a group of experts met last week in this country to discuss how to foster Guatemala’s growth. The analysis of the issue carried out by a member of The Growth Dialogue think tank can be extrapolated to most Central American countries.
In Latin America the growth of air services is from 6 to 8% per year, and the forecast is that it will accelerate to 12 or 14% in the next 5-10 years.
An article in Capital.com reports that "It is expected that demand for air travel in Latin America will exceed that of other regions in the next 20 years, which will be a challenge for Latin American airlines in terms of the use of advanced technology, increasingly reliable security systems and first class service for customers so as to compete in this dynamic market, issues that are being examined during the ninth forum of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) which is taking place from today in Panama City . "