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.
Clearly identifying the direct and indirect costs is the first step forward in the process of defining how much professionals should charge for their services when practicing independently.
Ariel Baños, Economist Founder of Fijaciondeprecios.com:
How much is my job worth?
A major challenge for those who work independently or freelance is to define the price of their services. Identifying key elements to take into account is the first step.
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.
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.
An economist is a professional who divides his daily work into two stages: in the morning he explains what went wrong yesterday, and in the afternoon he explains what is happening today.
EDITORIAL
The title of this article with which we are aiming to start the wind down to the weekend (friday 26th), contains words that used to shine in bronze -years ago- on the desk of a then young economist at the central bank of a south american country, a high quality professional who now holds a first class post in that nation.
"... 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.
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.
While in the rest of the world the standard is close connections between the private sector and academia, the region is still holding on to old ideological myths, which negatively affect development.
On inaugurating in El Salvador the II National Congress of Higher Education entitled "Linking Higher Education to the Workplace", the Minister of Education, Franzi Hato Hasbun, noted the need to "carry out a process of connection between company and university , encouraging three fundamental aspects: research, innovation and overcoming social projections. "
Faced with the offensive represented by Barack Obama's immigration reform project , Central American countries must strengthen their own policies in order to retain their most valuable and scarce human capital.
Elnuevoherald.com reports that " President Barack Obama's immigration reform plan includes a large increase in visas for foreign students graduating in science and engineering, which will pose a huge challenge for China, India and Latin America: these emerging countries will have to get their act together if they want to retain their best brains, or suffer the highest brain drain in recent history. "
There are plenty of applicants for the posts, but there are few who are really qualified to meet the demands of each job.
A study entitled 'Lack of Talent 2011' by the firm Manpower Group shows that 30% of companies in Costa Rica say they have trouble finding certain types of staff such as technicians, salesmen and secretaries with the required skills.
In terms of salary, knowing when to say no to the boss has its advantages.
In her article for CNNexpansión, journalist Ivonne Vargas analyses the results of an investigation conducted by the United States Management Academy.
"The study 'Do Nice Guys and Girls Always Finish Last?' conducted on 20,000 professionals in the U.S. and Canada, found that rude men earn 18% more than workers who always want to be seen as 'good' or nice.
The growing trend of change in economies led by the conservation of the environment is creating a demand for a workforce with new skills.
The employment potential arising from the transition to a greener economy cannot be exploited unless new skills related to green jobs are developed, says a study by the ILO covering 21 countries, which together represent about 60 percent of the world population.
The Ministry of Economy is searching for legal professionals to continue the arbitration process requested by Ferrovías.
On July 7 the country must present its statement to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), but in the absence of professionals to take on the case, it has requested an extension.
"'We are looking for a favorable proposal in accordance with the interests of the state, for this reason we are evaluating a group of lawyers who wish to continue with the case which was being handled by the firm Arnold & Porter LLP’ said Velasquez.
The number of professionals working abroad jumped 78% in 2010 when compared to 2009.
According to data from the 2010 remittances survey, published by the International Migration Organization, 7.273 Guatemalan professionals are working abroad, a 78% increase versus the 4.078 registered in 2009. Additionally, there are 9.303 workers with uncompleted college studies.
Attracting, hiring and retaining talent is imperative to make a company competitive; the methods to achieve this are changing rapidly.
In most productive sectors there are not enough qualified and experienced professionals. In some industries, such as software development, the lack of personnel is even more critical, making it crucial for companies to adopt staff attraction and retention policies.