Between February and August of this year, the proportion of consumers in Costa Rica who expressed pessimism regarding the country's economic future increased from 33% to 47%, a rise that can be explained by the crisis resulting from the outbreak of covid-19.
According to the Consumer Confidence Survey conducted during August 2020 by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica, people in the country expect increases in the cost of their loans in the next 12 months.
Between February and May of this year the Consumer Confidence Index registered a 40% drop, which was caused by the health and economic crisis resulting from the covid-19 outbreak.
According to the Consumer Confidence survey conducted by the University of Costa Rica, between August and November 2019 the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) rose from 28.5 to 32.3, however, by May of this year it had fallen to 19.7.
Although the Consumer Confidence Index reports increases in the last two quarters, the perception of the country's economy continues to be pessimistic.
According to the Consumer Confidence survey, conducted by the University of Costa Rica, between August and November 2019 the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) rose from 28.5 to 32.3, and by February this year it had risen to 37.
The pessimism expressed by consumers in Costa Rica and the constant deterioration of business expectations in Guatemala reflect part of the complex challenges faced by Central American economies this year.
A report prepared by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) shows the negative trend that come showing the economic expectations, because between February 2018 and the same month of 2019, the Consumer Confidence Index (ICC) fell 15%.
28% of the SMEs in Costa Rica stated that obtaining a municipal permit to start operations was the most complex procedure, while another 17% says that the process of registering with the department of Taxation is the most onerous.
According to theIII National Survey of MSMEs, prepared by the State University at a Distance (UNED) and the University of Costa Rica (UCR), for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) obtaining a municipal patent for operation and registering as a new taxpayer, are the two procedures that most affect the start up of their operations.
The uncertainty about the future of the tax reform that is being discussed in the Assembly is the main reason behind the decline in consumer confidence in Costa Rica.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) calculated by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) shows a reduction of close to 10 points between the months of June and August.
Using its corporate power and taking advantage of the power vacuum that is afflicting the State, a public university in Costa Rica is paying first world salaries, exacerbating the inequality that exists between Costa Ricans and severely distorting the labor market.
EDITORIAL
The degeneration of democracy which is happening in a lot of Latin American countries has Costa Rica as an example, a country which historically used to be a shining example of the best way to live in society.
The idea is to take advantage of the growing consumption of french fries in the country, cultivating varieties suitable for industrial use and then processing them and competing with the 18,000 tons which are imported every year.
The Ministry of Agriculture together with the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the union of potato farmers are aiming to develop and adapt tuber crops for industrial use, because the variety currently produced is designed for table consumption and not industrial use, therefore they plan to start trying different cultures, which are suitable for undergoing the frying process.
Differences have been reported of up to one thousand percent in the salaries of staff performing identical functions in state universities.
Editorial
A study by the deputy Otto Guevara, according to a report by Crhoy.com, confirms the distortion generated by the wage policy of the Costa Rican public sector in the labor market in the country.
Through remuneration systems that favor the stability of the employee and reward the simple continuity in a post beyond the adequacy with which tasks are executed, it is possible that even within the same institution one driver of a light vehicle can receive $300 a month, while another one earns $3,750.
Technical regulations on the "General Principles of Good Food Manufacturing Practices" have been updated.
In December 2013, the Institute of Technical Standards of Costa Rica (Inteco) updated and approved a tool which establishes the controls and requirements for all processes in the food manufacturing chain.
From a press release issued by the Institute of Technical Standards of Costa Rica (Inteco):
The large infrastructure projects that have been announced will need to import human resources according to the demand created by such works.
The new container terminal in Moin, the extension of Route 32 and the new refinery are the new projects that are coming to the province. Regarding these, Wilberth Mata, director of the headquarters of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (RERI) said that "in Limon there is not enough qualified people to meet the labor demand as it arises over the next few years."
Most road maintenance contracts awarded by the National Roads Authority go to the company Hernán Solís.
Semanariouniversidad.ucr.cr reports that "Of the 22 maintenance contracts given by Conavi around the country, this firm were awarded 13, ie 60% of all projects. In total the company has received maintenance contracts worth over $133.4 million.
According to several institutions, the second half of the year will be marked by lower prices, lower exports and higher unemployment.
According to Fernando Rodriguez, professor at the National University (UNA), interest rates will have an upward trend, especially towards the end of the year when the U.S. Federal Reserve (FED) begins withdrawing stimulus to the economy.
Nearly three-quarters of newly formed companies arise from ideas that are not very innovative, and there are very few that are export-oriented.
This was revealed by the "National Report 2012: the state of entrepreneurship in Costa Rica". "The research, made with the methodology of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), shows that 73% of new companies created do not offer any new products or services to customers, while for established firms the ratio is 60 % ", reported Nacion.com.