The greater interest in studying social sciences and the lesser inclination for training in technical or scientific areas may be partly because of the preference of professionals for employment in a government institution rather than in the private sector.
According to data from the National Council of Rectors (Conare), between 2006 and 2016, in Costa Rica the careers in the area of Social Sciences registered the highest growth according to the proportion of graduates, going from 36.2% to 45.5% of the total number of students.
Between 300 thousand and 500 thousand professionals in different areas are estimated to be needed in order to cover the jobs that could be generated in the next ten years.
Panama's economic growth potential can not be fully developed if the necessary conditions are not developed, one of which is the quality of the labor supply.
In Costa Rica most college students crave "fixed and stable jobs" in state enterprises.
EDITORIAL
The words "fixed" and "stable" are not exactly what you would expect to hear from young twentysomethings, supposedly eager for challenges, opportunities and adventures.However, in Costa Rica, a survey carried out by Universum indicates that most college students are looking for a job for life in a state institution.
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.
Sales, operations and production are the areas in which Guatemalan entrepreneurs face the most difficulties in recruiting staff with the necessary skills.
Leadership, the ability to make decisions and to identify and solve problems are the skills most required by companies in Guatemala, and the most difficult ones to find when hiring staff.
Companies are struggling to find employees with skills in information technology, programming and networking, electricity, processing and assembly of medical parts.
The Talent Shortage study (2014) by Manpower notes that "... 51% of the 620 Costa Rican employers surveyed said they can not find suitable professionals to perform the tasks required by their company." The main cause, according to the contractors, is lack of technical skills.
"... Some of the professions reserved for national citizens are chemical engineering and petrochemicals, careers which are not offered by any university in Panama. "
EDITORIAL
Acting as a backdrop to the contradiction between migrant's human right to work and the need to reserve jobs for nationals, is the upkeep of competitiveness and economic development of each country.
Projections are that for the five year period between 2015-2020 there will be a shortfall of 70,000 workers in the sectors of construction, logistics, tourism and agriculture.
According to the National Competitiveness Center, in the specified period there will be a shortage of workers especially in the logistics sector, where they will need at least 35,000 technicians, ie 49.5%, while in the construction area demand will be for around 28,000 people, representing 40.3%. In the case of the tourism sector it is estimated that it will require approximately 4,113 technicians, ie 5.7% and in agriculture about 3,203, the remaining 4.5%.
In the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica a bill is being discussed which would impose compulsory licensing for IT and computing professionals.
Editorial
The bill that seeks reform of Law No. 7,537, Organic Law of the Association of Professionals in Information Technology and Computing has been ruled on positively in the Commission which is studying it. The bill states that "any person who works as a computer technician or computer operator must be incorporated into the School of Information Technology and Computing Professionals (CPIC)."
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.
There has been a rise in the number of firms reporting difficulties in recruiting qualified staff, especially technicians, engineers and sales managers.
In one year the number of companies who said they found it difficult to fill vacancies grew by 11%, according to figures from a survey carried out by the human resources firm Manpower, which states that "... five out of 10 employers looking for talent have had difficulties filling vacancies in 2014. "
In Costa Rica two bills are proposing mandatory enrollment in professional colleges for anyone performing any computing task.
In his article in Elfinancierocr.com, Juan Carlos Hidalgo highlights the nonsense that these bills represent, one of which even attempts to penalize "with imprisonment of three months to two years, anyone who pursues a profession for which special training is required without having obtained the corresponding authorization. "
The economic growth which will be generated by the canal expansion will increase the demand for skilled workers in the logistics industry.
Foreign trade, port planning and management, border management and maritime transport are some of the sectors that require skilled labor in the coming years in Panama.
A professional degree used to be a guarantee of social mobility and prestige, but the current labour market pays little for some of them.
The labor market can be compared to the commercial market. Salaries are defined by the evolution of supply and demand. When supply is greater than demand, salaries are lowered and when demand is greater than supply, wages rise.
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