In this quarter, the unemployed population was 452 thousand people, an increase of 142 thousand people compared to the same mobile quarter of the previous year, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).

The official report highlights that "... the population out of the labor force was 1.58 million people for this quarter December 2020 - January and February 2021. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, it increases by 143 thousand people.

The labor force participation rate in this December 2020 - January and February 2021 quarter decreased compared to the same moving quarter in 2019. The net participation rate was 60.8 %, decreased by 3.1 percentage points (p.p.) compared to the previous year's mobile quarter (63.9 %). By sex, the labor participation rate for men was 72.2 % and for women was 49.3 %.

The employment rate for the December 2020 - January and February 2021 quarter decreased compared to the same period in 2019. The percentage of employed with respect to the population aged 15 years and older was 49.5%, decreased significantly by 6.5 pp. compared to the same period of the previous year. The employment rate for men stood at 62% and for women it was 37%." See full report.

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Unemployment in Costa Rica is Still Falling

June 2021

During the February to April 2021 quarter, the unemployment rate rose to 17.3%, a level that is lower than the 18.7% reported during the first three months of the year, a decrease that is reported in the context of the economic reactivation.

For the quarters between February, March and April 2020 to the last available quarter, the country has experienced significant impacts in the main indicators, as a result of a higher participation of people and greater access to the labor market due to the lifting of some sanitary measures arising from the Covid-19 sanitary emergency, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census.

Costa Rica: Unemployment Rate Falls to 19%

March 2021

For the moving quarter from November 2020 to January 2021, the unemployment rate in the country decreased to 19%, which is slightly lower than the 20% reported for the period from October to December last year.

For the quarters from the first quarter (January to March 2020) to the last available quarter, the country has experienced a situation in the labor market that has generated significant impacts in the main indicators, as a result of the measures that generate restriction to the labor market and the labor situation caused by the Covid-19 health emergency, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).

Costa Rica: Unemployment Rate Goes Up to 11.9%

August 2019

From April to June of this year, the unemployment rate stood at 11.9%, higher than the 11.3% reported in the first quarter of 2019.

For the second quarter of 2019, there was a significant increase in the net labor participation rate of 63%, with a 2.1 pp. increase over the same period of the previous year.

Unemployment does not Decrease in Costa Rica

May 2019

From January to March of this year, the unemployment rate stood at 11.3%, unchanged from the same period in 2018, and registering a slight reduction of less than 1% with respect to the fourth quarter of last year.

In this first quarter of 2019, 276,000 people were unemployed, and 47,000 more actively sought employment and did not find it compared to the first quarter of 2018.