Employer Survey Finds Tepid Employer Confidence

One third of Costa Rican employers were expecting to hire more workers in the coming months, according to a survey published in early September.

According to Manpower, which surveys employers internationally every three months, 33 percent of Costa Rican companies expected their labor force to grow, 61 percent expected it to stay the same, and only 4 percent expected to lose workers, while 2 percent were undecided.

Manpower gave the outlook a 29 percent rating, which is 2 points better than its study released in June, but down 5 points from this time last year.

Growth expectations were strongest in San José, the study found, followed by Heredia, north of the capital.

The sectors with the best outlook, the study reported, were commerce, agriculture, fishing and mining.