During the mobile quarter from September to November 2020, the unemployment rate at the national level stood at 21.3%, which is lower than the 21.9% reported from August to October of the same year.
For the mobile quarter September, October and November 2020, the population of 15 years of age and older with an incidence of labor due to the effect of Covid-19 was 1.07 million people (26.7%), according to an official report.
In the current scenario of economic crisis, during the mobile quarter from August to October 2020 the unemployment rate at the national level was 21.9%, a proportion similar to the 22% reported from July to September.
The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) reported that for the August, September and October 2020 moving quarter, the population of 15 years old and older with an incidence of labor due to the effect of Covid-19 was 1.13 million people (28.3%). The incidence of labor in the labor force was estimated at 981,000 people (40.8%). A total of 474,000 employed people (25.2%) have some incidence of the pandemic in the workplace. Of the unemployed, 507,000 people (96.3%) were affected in their search for employment. Finally, the labor incidence caused by the emergency affected about 154 thousand people (9.6%) outside the workforce.
Modifying the Labor Code to allow companies to implement the exceptional extended workday of 12 hours a day, is a proposal being discussed in Costa Rica due to the need of industries that depend on continuous processes and encounter obstacles in the law.
In the Commission of Treasurers of the Legislative Assembly is initiative number 21,182, a parliamentary proposal that seeks to modify the Labor Code and update it according to present needs.
In Costa Rica, the deadline for employers to regularize the immigration status of workers who come to the country to work in agricultural activities was extended until October 22.
The decision was made not to extend the decree that allows employers to regulate the immigration status of workers who come to Costa Rica to work in agricultural activities.
The decree concerned is No. 42406-MAG-MGP and establishes that employers in the agricultural sector may regularize the immigration status of foreigners who entered the country between January 15, 2016 and January 15, 2020.
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.
After the first quarter of 2020 in Guatemala, 10% of companies reported that they planned to increase their payrolls, for the second quarter this proportion rose to 15%.
Employers in Costa Rica report cautiously optimistic hiring plans for the second quarter of 2020. Fifteen percent of employers are contemplating an increase in their payrolls, 6% anticipate a decrease and 78% will remain unchanged, so the Net Employment Trend is +9%, reported Manpower.
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.
Between the third and fourth quarters of 2019, the open unemployment rate in Costa Rica rose from 11.4% to 12.4%, partly because of the increase in women's unemployment.
In a year-on-year comparison, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) report states that the national unemployment rate for the fourth quarter of 2019 remains unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2018 at 12.4%.
For the first quarter of 2020, 7% of the companies consulted plan to reduce their payrolls, and only 10% plan to increase them.
Employers in Costa Rica report slow growth in their hiring plans for the first quarter of 2020. According to Manpower, 10% of companies are contemplating an increase in their workforce, 7% anticipate a decrease and 82% remain unchanged.
After in the III Quarter of 2018 the indicator stood at 10.2%, for the same period this year the unemployment rate rose to 11.4%.
The unemployment rate was 11.4% in urban areas and 11.3% in rural areas. In urban areas, the unemployment rate remained unchanged, while in rural areas it rose 1.3 pp year-on-year, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC).
In the last two years, the number of jobs generated by companies in this sector has fallen 7%, because of the slowdown in the country's economic activity.
According to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), between the second quarter of 2017 and the same period of 2019, the number of jobs in the commercial sector was reduced by 28,621, from 386,597 to 357,976.
In the second debate, the bill to regulate telework was approved, with the aim of promoting this type of work to boost employment generation in the country.
According to the approved bill, in order to establish a telework relationship, the employer and the teleworker must sign a telework contract, which is subject to the law and other provisions governing employment in Costa Rica, informed the Legislative Assembly.