For the mobile quarter from December 2020 to February 2021, the unemployment rate in the country decreased to 18.5%, a proportion that is slightly lower than the 19% reported for the period from November to January last year.
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 labor market reports a structural change, as fewer and fewer people are being paid a fixed salary for their work, while at the same time the number of employees earning per project is increasing.
Although the trend has been reported globally for several years, the pandemic accelerated this process, as the economic crisis generated by the Covid-19 outbreak destroyed thousands of formal jobs.
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).
As a result of the crisis caused by the covid-19 outbreak, during the second quarter of 2020 the unemployment rate at national level rose to 24%, for the period from July to September it decreased to 22% and in the last three months of the year it fell to 20%.
Regarding the unemployed population, for the IV Quarter of 2020 it was estimated at 488 thousand people, of these 240 thousand are men and 248 thousand women, the unemployed population increased by 178 thousand people on a year-on-year basis, 97 thousand men and 81 thousand women, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
Due to the precariousness of the English language, in recent years’ companies in the Contact Center & BPO sector have decided to close thousands of jobs in the region and relocate their investments to other markets where they have no difficulty in recruiting qualified personnel.
Reports at a global level show that the command of English is one of the weaknesses at a Central American level.
In the current scenario of economic crisis, during the mobile quarter from August to October 2020 the unemployment rate at the national level was 21.9%, a proportion similar to the 22% reported from July to September.
The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) reported that for the August, September and October 2020 moving quarter, the population of 15 years old and older with an incidence of labor due to the effect of Covid-19 was 1.13 million people (28.3%). The incidence of labor in the labor force was estimated at 981,000 people (40.8%). A total of 474,000 employed people (25.2%) have some incidence of the pandemic in the workplace. Of the unemployed, 507,000 people (96.3%) were affected in their search for employment. Finally, the labor incidence caused by the emergency affected about 154 thousand people (9.6%) outside the workforce.
In the current scenario of economic crisis, during the third quarter of the year the unemployment rate nationwide stood at 22%, a proportion that is lower than the 24.4% reported for the mobile quarter from May to July.
According to the report released by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), 42% of the people who were unemployed during the third quarter of 2020 said that they had less than three months to look for work.
Modifying the Labor Code to allow companies to implement the exceptional extended workday of 12 hours a day, is a proposal being discussed in Costa Rica due to the need of industries that depend on continuous processes and encounter obstacles in the law.
In the Commission of Treasurers of the Legislative Assembly is initiative number 21,182, a parliamentary proposal that seeks to modify the Labor Code and update it according to present needs.
In the context of the economic crisis in Costa Rica, by the fourth quarter of 2020, 6% of employers plan to increase their payrolls, a share that doubles the 3% registered for the third quarter of the year.
Although Costa Rican employers report weak hiring intentions for the October-December period, these have improved slightly when compared to the July-September outlook.
Faced with the sudden change that the new normal generated in companies, employees are challenged to increase their skills to work remotely, adapt to more flexible contracts and refine their technological skills and cognitive qualities.
Telecommuting has become an everyday occurrence among companies in the region, which have had to adjust to the restrictions imposed by governments due to the outbreak of covid-19.
Eliminating "tax harassment", suspending threatening messages to the private sector, such as lifting bank secrecy, and stopping persecuting the formal employer is part of what Costa Rican entrepreneurs are proposing to generate more jobs in the next two years.
In Costa Rica, the business sector presented the Alvarado administration with a proposal of 113 actions to generate new jobs in the next two years.
The partial suspension of employment contracts and social security payments are some of the proposals made by employers in Costa Rica to maintain employment levels in the face of the spread of the Covid-19.
Representatives of the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP), predict that if urgent actions are delayed, unemployment could rise from 12% to 19%.
After the first quarter of 2020 in Guatemala, 10% of companies reported that they planned to increase their payrolls, for the second quarter this proportion rose to 15%.
Employers in Costa Rica report cautiously optimistic hiring plans for the second quarter of 2020. Fifteen percent of employers are contemplating an increase in their payrolls, 6% anticipate a decrease and 78% will remain unchanged, so the Net Employment Trend is +9%, reported Manpower.
Between the third and fourth quarters of 2019, the open unemployment rate in Costa Rica rose from 11.4% to 12.4%, partly because of the increase in women's unemployment.
In a year-on-year comparison, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) report states that the national unemployment rate for the fourth quarter of 2019 remains unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2018 at 12.4%.
For the first quarter of 2020, 7% of the companies consulted plan to reduce their payrolls, and only 10% plan to increase them.
Employers in Costa Rica report slow growth in their hiring plans for the first quarter of 2020. According to Manpower, 10% of companies are contemplating an increase in their workforce, 7% anticipate a decrease and 82% remain unchanged.