In Costa Rica a law iniatiative pretends to force companies to have 25% of their workforce composed by young people aged between 17 and 24 years old.
EDITORIAL
The problem of unemployment that affects thousands of young people in Costa Rica and the Central American countries will not be solved simply by forcing private companies to hire a certain proportion of young employees, regardless of their qualifications and skills, or even worse, without considering whether there is an actual need for hiring or not.
The Morales administration expects to have ready next month the first draft of a law that regulates part-time work, which must be approved before February 2018.
In February, Convention 175 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) comes into force in Guatemala and by that date the legal framework to implement part-time employment must be ready.
In September 2016 an annual increase of 10% was registered in the number of workers signed up with the social security department and a 5% increase was recorded in the average nominal wage.
Membership of the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS) grew by 9.8% in September compared with the same month in 2015, with noteworthy sectors being trade, hotels and restaurants, with an increase of 18%, transport, storage and communications, with 17%, construction with 15% and community, social and personal services, with 11.5%, according to Central Bank of Nicaragua.
For every ten professionals in demand by private companies in Costa Rica between 2014 and 2016, 7 were computer and software engineers.
The growing demand for professionals in careers related to engineering, especially in the area of computing and software development, contrasts increasingly with the demand for professionals in other disciplines, such as social work, which are losing ground as the use of information technologies advances.
In Central America, the youth unemployment rate is estimated at over 24%, while in Germany, where the dual education is practiced, youth unemployment is 6%.
EDITORIAL
A visit to Costa Rica by the German Education Minister has put back on the table the concept of dual education, an education method where time is shared between the traditional classroom and work as an apprentice in a trade or professional specialty, in a company.
While the unemployment rate is maintained, the rate of non-labor participation (people outside the labor force in respect to the population who are 15 years of age or older) increased by 2 percentage points.
From a statement issued by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC)
The country which used to stand out in the region because of its good relative level of economic, social and educational development, is accelerating its march downhill in terms of productive competitiveness, income distribution and training.
EDITORIAL
A national entrepreneur's comments about how his half a century old company has no market problems and is in full swing in the phase of increasing investment, but can no longer keep production in the country because Costa Rica "has become very expensive and high risk", is confirmation of the march downhill of the real economy.
The country's labor problems could be solved by developing an immigration policy that allows skilled foreign workers to work and also train panamanians.
In his opinion piece Rene Quevedo notes the difficulties facing the Panamanian labor market due to a lack of national technical professionals and because of a preference for adult workers over young people with little experience and training.
In Costa Rica, employment growth for three consecutive quarters was 8.8%, however there was also an increase in the demand for labor, with the unemployment rate currently standing at 10.4%.
A statement from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) reads:
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...