As the pandemic has changed the ways of accomplishing tasks and telecommuting has gained ground in all markets, flexibility in terms of where and when to work will be one of the factors most valued by employees in this new reality.
The threats caused by the spread of Covid-19, caused companies globally to look for new ways of working. Most teams chose to readjust their dynamics and focused on promoting remote work.
The growing trend to work for companies that offer the flexibility to work from home or in spaces outside the office, is modifying the employee performance and even triggering changes in the real estate market.
Experts on the subject say that Panama reports a growing trend, which consists of employees choosing not to work in eminently corporate environments and do so in coworking’s, cafeterias and avant-garde offices, or even work from home.
Between January and October, 222.000 work contracts were registered in Panama, 4% less than the 232.000 contracts reported during the same period in 2017.
According to figures from the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development, between the first ten months of 2017 and the same period in 2018, the indefinite contracts registered a slight increase, rising from 62,284 to 62,635.
For the third quarter of the year, 10% of companies in Guatemala plan to increase their hirings and 85% believe they will not make any changes.
ManpowerGroup presented the Employment Expectations Survey corresponding to the III Quarter of the year, and highlighted in the results is the fact that 4% of companies consultedforesee that staff reductions will be made in the coming months.
Last year the country attracted 40 new foreign direct investment projects, which generated around $2.165 billion.
Jorge Sequeira, General Director of the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives explained that "... 'themultinational companies attracted with the support of CINDE generated 20% of formal net jobs in the country and 23% of total employment generated by private companies in 2017. It is important to note that the growth rate of employment in multinationals was 7.8%, 3.7 times more than the average of the country which reported growth of 2.1%'."
In 2017, university professionals took an average of 4.2 months to find a job, below the average of 5.1 months registered in 2016.
According to figures from the Labor Market Observatory, in the case of workers with secondary education, in 2016 it took an average of 4.4 months to get a job and last year that time decreased to 3.1 months.
13% of Panamanian businesses reported that for the first quarter of 2018 they plan to increase their payrolls, a percentage that is identical to that registered in the same quarter of 2017.
According to data from the "Employment Expectations Survey" by ManpowerGroup, in the first three months of 2018, 13% of Panamanian employers plan to increase their staff payrolls, 78% think that they will not make changes, 7% plan to reduce them, and 2% do not know if will make any changes.
"More than half of the adult population has not managed to approve the second cycle of secondary education, meaning that many Costa Ricans will have to acquire new skills in order to take advantage of new job opportunities."
From a report by the OECD:
18/10/2017 - Costa Rica enjoys relatively high life satisfaction levels, but should do more to develop a more inclusive and sustainable economy, according to a new OECD report.
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.
People of working age make up 62% of the total, in a labor market marked by a declining birth rate and economic dependence, and an increase in the elderly population.
The report on the labor market in Nicaragua by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is focused on characterization by gender.
From the introduction of the report:
The Nicaraguan labor market has undergone significant demographic changes in recent years: the presence of a high percentage (62 percent) of working age population (15 to 64 years), a declining birth rate and economic dependence, and an increasing elderly population (65 and over). This, together with its structural characteristics such as segmentation and informality, is a complex situation for the employment of the population, especially women who also have been historically discriminated against by a patriarchal society, as occurs worldwide .
Unions reject a proposal by industrialists to work 4 days and rest 3 days, whle the government describes it as a "sensitive" issue.
The Minister of Labour, Victor Morales, told Crhoy.com that "....These proposals concerning working hours require legislative amendment, they need a reform of the Labour Code to be approved in the Legislature ... I proposed to the Chamber of Industries ...
Industrialists are asking for inclusion in the Labour Code a 12 hour work day, and in cases in where the law permits, annualized hours.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Industries (ICRC):
July 2014. In the view of the ICRC establishing additional rules for working time in Costa Rican legislation represents an excellent option for generating higher quality employment opportunities, while at the same time allowing firms to improve their production levels.
Between March 2013 and March 2014 participation in the labor market went up by 2.5%, from 61.8% to 64.3% of the population.
Despite the slowdown in economic activity seen in recent months, activity in the labor market continues to grow, especially with the addition of more people of working age and a reduction in the unemployment rate of 3.2% to 3.1%.
Costa Rican government employees earn up to 50% more than their peers in the private sector, and they have announced marches and strikes because they want to earn even more.
EDITORIAL
In Costa Rica, a country of 4.5 million inhabitants of which 20% live in poverty, there are 1,600 government officials whose monthly salaries are over $10,000, some reaching up to $70,000 a month.
While the unemployment rate remains the lowest in Latin America, an even greater level of preparedness of the workforce is needed to achieve dynamic and sustainable growth.
According to an article in Capital.com.pa the rate of employment growth is no longer parallel to economic growth, noting that "According to official figures, between March 2012 and March 2013 there was a decrease in the labour force of nearly 7,000 jobs. "
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