For the mobile quarter from December 2020 to February 2021, the unemployment rate in the country decreased to 18.5%, a proportion that is slightly lower than the 19% reported for the period from November to January last year.
In this quarter, the unemployed population was 452 thousand people, an increase of 142 thousand people compared to the same mobile quarter of the previous year, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
The labor market reports a structural change, as fewer and fewer people are being paid a fixed salary for their work, while at the same time the number of employees earning per project is increasing.
Although the trend has been reported globally for several years, the pandemic accelerated this process, as the economic crisis generated by the Covid-19 outbreak destroyed thousands of formal jobs.
For the moving quarter from November 2020 to January 2021, the unemployment rate in the country decreased to 19%, which is slightly lower than the 20% reported for the period from October to December last year.
For the quarters from the first quarter (January to March 2020) to the last available quarter, the country has experienced a situation in the labor market that has generated significant impacts in the main indicators, as a result of the measures that generate restriction to the labor market and the labor situation caused by the Covid-19 health emergency, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
As a result of the crisis caused by the covid-19 outbreak, during the second quarter of 2020 the unemployment rate at national level rose to 24%, for the period from July to September it decreased to 22% and in the last three months of the year it fell to 20%.
Regarding the unemployed population, for the IV Quarter of 2020 it was estimated at 488 thousand people, of these 240 thousand are men and 248 thousand women, the unemployed population increased by 178 thousand people on a year-on-year basis, 97 thousand men and 81 thousand women, informed the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
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.
In the current scenario of economic crisis, during the third quarter of the year the unemployment rate nationwide stood at 22%, a proportion that is lower than the 24.4% reported for the mobile quarter from May to July.
According to the report released by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), 42% of the people who were unemployed during the third quarter of 2020 said that they had less than three months to look for work.
After the unemployment rate in the United States fell from 15% to 8% between April and August, it became evident that at the beginning of the crisis the capacity of recovery that the North American country could develop was underestimated and it is expected that this behavior could boost the economic activity in Central America.
During the first half of 2020, when the first cases of covid-19 began to be reported in the region, forecasts noted that the recovery of economic activity would be excessively slow, due to a significant drop in consumption globally.
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.
The Executive Branch endorsed the new law that allows companies to temporarily reduce the working hours agreed with their employees, in the context of the crisis generated by the covid-19 virus.
On the morning of March 21, the deputies gave the second debate with 47 votes and unanimous approval to file 21854, the law authorizing the reduction of working hours prior to the declaration of a national emergency, reported the Assembly.
The partial suspension of employment contracts and social security payments are some of the proposals made by employers in Costa Rica to maintain employment levels in the face of the spread of the Covid-19.
Representatives of the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP), predict that if urgent actions are delayed, unemployment could rise from 12% to 19%.
In Costa Rica, businessmen in the sector do not clearly see what the economic direction of the country will be, since the levels of unemployment and informality in small and medium enterprises are still rising.
The proportion of unemployed people in the country closed 2019 upwards, as between the third and fourth quarters of 2019 the open unemployment rate rose from 11.4% to 12.4%, an increase that can be explained partly by the rise in women's unemployment.
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%. By sex, men showed 9.6% and women 16.7%, both rates with no significant year-on-year change.
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.
Costa Rican businessmen warn that the government's decision to standardize wages in 2020 will lead to more unemployment, affect workers with less education and reduce competitiveness even further.
For the business sector is imprudent to approve and implement the wage standardization in 2020, since it will have a strong impact on productive sectors such as agriculture, trade, transport, tourism and construction, explains a statement from the UCCAEP.
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