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.
In the context of the economic crisis, it is estimated that companies in Central America have reduced the working hours of employees to an average of 32 hours per week.
As a result of the spread of covid-19 in the countries of the region and the imposition of strict home quarantines, demand for products and services has fallen considerably in most markets.
Having general ideas of how a computer can look at an image and identify a stop sign, a pedestrian or a car, is fundamental for business leaders to be able to empower humans with the help of artificial intelligence.
The development of artificial intelligence tools suggests that human work will be abolished, something that could be far away, since these technological applications are for now used for the execution of specific business tasks and not for problem solving.
Applying artificial intelligence tools and complementing it with increasing the technological capabilities of employees is essential to significantly improve the performance of companies.
According to reports by Harvard Business Review, companies have been found to achieve the most significant performance improvements when humans and machines work together.
Although working from home is considered a non-wage incentive because of the flexibility and benefits it provides to the employee, this mode of work is not yet a trend for companies in Guatemala.
Implementing work from home or home office, is a modality increasingly popular among executives and professionals who see the benefits that telecommuting provides.
Although new jobs will emerge, technological changes will have a strong impact in the Central American region, where there is a high proportion of jobs with a high risk of automation.
According to forecasts made by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in 2018 it was estimated that 75% of workers in Guatemala and El Salvador are in high-risk automation jobs.
During the third month of 2018, the affiliation of 896,869 social security workers was registered, 1.5% less than was reported in March 2017.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that according to the administrative records of the INSS, in March the number of insured people was 896,869 workers, which is equivalent to a 1% drop compared to February 2018.
Local authorities reported that during the first month of 2018 there were 911,104 workers affiliated in the social security scheme, 2.4% more than was reported in January 2017.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that the "... administrative records of the INSS, indicate that in January the number of insured people amounted to 911,104 workers, 2.4 percent higher than the figure registered in the same month of the previous year."
During the last five years the number of workers affiliated to the social insurance scheme increased by 35%, rising from 673 thousand in 2013 to 914 thousand in 2017.
According to figures from the Central Bank of Nicaragua, in the five-year period between 2013 and 2017, the affiliation of workers to the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS) registered sustained growth, reporting an average annual increase of 8%.
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.
Nicaraguan companies are having difficulty finding employees who are 24 years old or younger with the required socio-emotional and academic skills.
From the executive summary of a document entitled "Skills required by companies in Nicaragua" prepared by Funides:
Studies have been done at the international level that have found no relationship between years of education and economic growth, which has led to the discussion turning from schooling to the quality of education as a key element for economic growth.
Offering more freedom of action and decision-making can generate more committed employees than an atmosphere of joy and fun.
Using happiness at work as a way of retaining human talent is being questioned.
In principle we must recognize that, given the many factors that can bring this about and personality differences, it is impossible to guarantee complete happiness for all employees in a company.
The private companies should have to consider the risk posed to Costa Rica's business climate by the excesses of state union leaders.
EDITORIAL
Costa Rica's democratic traditions pale before the attempt made by a trade unionist to silence the media by threatening the safety of journalists.
An article in Crhoy.com quote statements made by the union member Fabio Chaves regarding the news in Costa Rican media revealing information about unacceptable privileges enjoyed by many officials, acquired against article 57 of the Constitution itself: "Wages will always be equal for equal work under identical conditions of efficiency."
There is growing use of the 'Vale Panamá' electronic cards as a means of compensation and bonuses payments to employees.
The main advantage of this mechanism is that the compensation paid by the company is exempt from labor costs, and can be used by employees in shops to buy food, medicine and other items.
Ana Lorena Broce, general manager of Vale Panama, reported that a lot of companies have migrated from the paper system to the electronic cards that are accepted at more than one thousand outlets.
The world today is Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity: job security and long-term retention concepts are doomed to extinction.
EDITORIAL
Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA) is a concept originally used by the military which defines "those situations where strategy, planning and decision-making take on extraordinary levels of difficulty, because the decision maker lacks minimum parameters required to guide their judgment. "
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,...