Costa Rican businessmen propose that given the economic crisis and the new normality that the country will face, the government should promote key strategies such as the sale of state assets, the transformation of public employment and the elimination of privileges in terms of pensions and salaries.
The Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP) presented to President Carlos Alvarado a document called "Pandemic Shock and Economic and Social Policies to Mitigate its Effects", which seeks to provide a way out of the health and economic crisis resulting from the outbreak of covid-19.
During January, IMAE registered a 2.5% year-on-year variation, down from the 2.8% reported at the end of 2019.
Most economic activities show positive year-on-year variations in January and higher than a year ago, with the exception of construction, whose production decreases, reported the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR).
"Growth remains susceptible to adverse shocks to global growth, economic and socio-political stress in Nicaragua, the continued weakness in consumer and business confidence, and uncertainty regarding the implementation of the fiscal reform.”
After the slowdown in growth between 2017 and early 2019, the economy has recovered since mid-2019, as a result of a rebound in services, agriculture and manufacturing, which produced an estimated 2.1% growth in 2019, reported the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
During the fourth quarter of 2019, Walmart's sales increased year-on-year in all countries in the region, except in Costa Rica, where they fell because of the lower dynamism of local economic activity.
The signs of recovery reported in the Costa Rican economy in the second half of 2019 do not seem to have been enough to boost retailtrade, as one of the largest supermarket chains is registering a drop in sales.
As of December 2019, IMAE recorded a 2.8% increase, partly due to the performance of the manufacturing and service sectors.
This result places the average annual growth in production at 1.9%, lower than the previous year's (2.6%), which, as the Central Bank has pointed out, reflects the economic slowdown experienced by the country since April 2016 and which reached its lowest point in May 2019, a situation caused by a combination of circumstances (uncertainty associated with the fiscal situation, external shocks to trade flows and adverse weather conditions), the official report explains.
With the 2.9% year-on-year change reported in the IMAE in November 2019, the economy has accumulated six consecutive months of acceleration.
The country's production, measured through the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE), registered a 2.9% year-on-year growth in November, the highest since July 2018, reported the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR).
In the context of the economic slowdown that Costa Rica suffered for much of last year, 4 out of 10 families restricted their purchases of clothing and footwear.
Thirty-three percent of households reduced their spending on meals outside the home, and in the area of other recreation or entertainment expenses, 29% of households consulted said that during 2019 they restricted their spending, details the "2019 News Survey ", prepared by the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
In Costa Rica, businessmen believe that by 2020 major steps should be taken to revive the economy and reduce unemployment, and government initiatives should focus on not hindering national production.
For the national productive sector, represented in the Unión Costarricense de Cámaras y Asociaciones del Sector Empresarial Privado (UCCAEP) (Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector), during next year this government cannot fail to implement public policies that are not very effective.
During October 2019, a 2.5% year-on-year variation was reported in the IMAE, a rise that is explained by the behavior of manufacturing activity and the service sector.
According to the report of the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), with the rise reported in the tenth month of the year, the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) showed signs of recovery for the fifth consecutive month.
As a result of the economic slowdown and the imbalance in public finances, Costa Rica faces a complex and high-risk future, in which the margins for action and maneuver will be increasingly limited.
The State of the Nation 2019 report explains that the economic slowdown and imbalance in public finances created a scenario of great complexity and risk, both economic and political, which aggravated the structural weaknesses or "blind spots" of the national development style.
In its latest update of economic growth projections for 2019, ECLAC estimates that the Dominican Republic will close the year with a 5% increase, followed by Panama, which would reach a growth rate of 3.7%.
According to economic growth projections for Latin America, which were estimated by the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) and updated in November, the Dominican Republic will be the country in the region that will increase its production the most this year.
For the authorities of the Central Bank, the economy begins to show signs of recovery, because for four consecutive months the economic activity has registered a positive performance.
In June of this year, the Monthly Economic Activity Index (IMAE) began to show signs of recovery, recording a 1.2% year-on-year increase. In July and August, positive variations continued, with 1.4% and 1.7% increases reported, respectively.
After year-on-year variations of 1.4% and 1.6%, respectively, will be reported in Costa Rica in July and August, in September the IMAE grew 2%, again explained by the performance of the special regimes manufacturing sector.
The growth of the Monthly Economic Activity Index (IMAE) in August was driven by the production of special regimes (free zone and active perfecting), which grew at a 12% year-on-year rate, according to information from the Central Bank of Costa Rica.
After the economies of the region grew by 2.6% in 2018 as a whole, the IMF estimates that 2019 would close with a rise of 2.7% and could reach 3.4% by 2020.
The document "World Economic Outlook", prepared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), states that for Panama the projected growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2019 was reduced from 5% to 4.3%.
After recording a 1.4% year-on-year variation in July, in August the IMAE varied by 1.6%, again explained by the performance of the special regimes manufacturing sector.
The growth of the Monthly Economic Activity Index (IMAE) in August was driven by the production of special regimes (free zone and active perfecting), which grew at a 12.6% year-on-year rate, informed the Central Bank of Costa Rica.
español
1580
