In the first quarter of 2018, the manufacturing and services sectors recorded falls of 4,000 and 7,000, respectively, in the monthly average number of affiliates to the social insurance scheme compared to 2017.
One example of the contraction observed in industrial activity is what occured in free zones.The Association of Private Free Zones of Guatemala explained that due to the closure of more than one hundred companies, some 1,500 jobs have been lost.
Among the professionals most required by companies in Guatemala, but the most difficult to find, are computer technicians, engineers in mining and construction, and professionals with doctorates in coffee and other agricultural products.
The study entitled "Talent Gaps 2017", prepared by the Foundation for the Development of Guatemala (Fundesa), details that the academic profile required by employers can be summarized by the fact that 65% of companies need staff with qualifications, 68% of employees with a technical level, and 75% of companies require professionals with a bachelor's degree.
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 concept protects those who work for the state or in a formal company, at the price of excluding those looking for a job and in particular young people.
OPINION Jorge Cobas González
In France, a country characterized by being one of the most advanced in protecting workers, the pendulum of history is changing the direction of its swing, meeting the demands of reality: the competitiveness of economies is based on the efficiency with which their resources are used.And in the Age of Knowledge, the human factor is the first to be taken into consideration in this matter.
After six years of litigation, the Arbitral Tribunal has ruled in favor of Guatemala in the labor dispute with the US which took place within the framework of CAFTA-DR.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy:
Guatemala, June 26, 2017.The final report from the Arbitral Tribunal published today states that the three claims presented by the United States of America were declared without merit, these being:
The Ministry of Labor is preparing a bill to regulate how companies can carry out part-time hiring, starting in February 2018.
The draft law being prepared by the government will allow the establishment of conditions for part time jobs starting in February next year, when the 175th Labor Organization Convention,approved in January of this year, comes into force.
The ILO Convention approved through Congress establishes a legal framework for hiring part-time employees, based on the principles of proportionality.
The Congress of Guatemala approved Convention 175 of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which sets standards for part-time employment and is based on the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination.
In advanced economies employment is becoming less stable while those in developing economies are focusing on public policies, which stimulates the growth of informality and, paradoxically, unemployment.
EDITORIAL
"It's the economy, stupid."
We will use the now famous phrase coined during Bill Clinton campaign against George Bush, to highlight the paternalistic voluntarism which is fashionable in most of the countries of the region, the only effect it has is to marginalize the formal production economy for more and more people, with an impoverishing final effect. Globalization requires more and more competition, which can only be achieved with maximum flexibility using all resources, including human ones. This, which in itself is inhumane, is a reality that should not be overlooked in the definition and implementation of public employment policies, if they are to be successful and sustainable.
In Costa Rica civil servants earn on average 150% more than workers in the private sector, which contributes decisively to the growth of inequality and lowers the overall competitiveness of human resources.
A new tool allows private companies to independently assess the level of compliance with the Guatemalan Labor Law.
The purpose of this certification is for companies interested in attracting foreign partners to be able to prove they comply with labor laws in the country, as explained by representatives of the American Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), developer of the tool.
The education of children and young people must be the appropriate in order to fit into a labor market that gets more competitive dayby day or to start their own businesses.
From a statement by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP):
CONTINUING MODERNIZATION OF EDUCATION IS TASK FOR EVERYONE
In a few days thousands of children and young people will enter classrooms to prepare to be the future of our country.
The service sector is the fastest-growing (19.9%) with 53,129 social security contributors, about 8,850 more than in the same period in 2012. Up until last September 113,067 new contributors signed up, 15,104 more than the 97,963 reported in the same period last year.
Up until September 113 067 new contributors signed up , 15,104 more than the 97,963 reported in the same period last year.
For every million dollars that comes into Central America as Foreign Direct Investment, only 4.7 jobs are created on average.
In Nicaragua, for example, an average of six new jobs are created per million dollars in incoming FDI, this is the highest number among the countries in Central America. "The data reflects the recent report on FDI in Latin America and the Caribbean 2013, by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)," noted an article in Laprensa.com.ni.
Central to the package of nine bills submitted to Congress is the Law for Promotion of Investment and Employment.
An article on S21.com.gt reports that "On January 14, President Pérez Molina will present a package of nine bills to Congress, three of which are new. There are four which already have assent and two amendments to existing laws, which together seek to create new jobs and bring more formality to the labor force, and hence attract more and better investments in the country."
The sector with the best availability for hiring staff is Construction, with a Net Employment Outlook of +19%.
From the Report Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Q4:
Employers expect to increase their workforces during the next three months in all sectors. The most optimistic hiring expectations are reported in construction with a Net Employment Outlook of +19%.